HONG KONG — Hong Kong police briefly detained a performance artist on the eve of the 35th anniversary of The Tiananmen Square crackdown in Chinaunderlining the diminishing freedom of expression in the city.
Police detained Sanmu Chen on Monday on a street in Causeway Bay, a busy shopping district in Hong Kong, near a park that for decades hosted an annual vigil to mourn victims of the 1989 crackdown. Before officers When they approached Chen, he imitated the action of drinking in front of a police van. He also seemed to be drawing or writing something in the air.
Police later said officers took Chen to a police station because they found him causing chaos at the scene. After an investigation, Chan was unconditionally released, police said.
On the same day last year, Chen also went arrested by the police through the same area after chanting “Hongkongers, don’t be afraid.” Don’t forget that tomorrow is June 4.”
For decades, the vigil in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park used to draw thousands of people every June 4 to remember the crackdown, during which government troops opened fire on student-led pro-democracy protesters, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands , dead.
But the vigil has He disappeared under the shadow of a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. Critics say its disappearance has illustrated that the freedoms that were promised to remain intact in Hong Kong for 50 years when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 have been eroded. drastically.
After the law was passed, the group that organized the vigil dissolved. Three of its former leaders, including activist Chow Hang-tung, were accused of subversion under the broad law. Related to Tiananmen Statues were also removed. of the universities.
Like last year, a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups will be held on Tuesday in Victoria Park.
The governments in Beijing and Hong Kong have insisted the law helped return stability to the city following huge anti-government protests in 2019.
Earlier on Monday, police arrested an eighth person on suspicion of alleged sedition for posting content on social media about commemorating the Tiananmen crackdown under a new homegrown national security law. Among the suspects in the case is activist Chow, who is now detained.
Several of the city’s pro-democracy activists told The Associated Press that police asked about their plans for Tuesday. At least one activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals, said they were asked not to go to “sensitive places.”
On Sunday, a Christian newspaper, which normally publishes content related to the event ahead of its anniversary, left its front page virtually blank in its latest issue. He said he responded to the current situation by turning words into squares and blanks.
Last week, Hong Kong Catholic Cardinal Stephen Chow wrote an article subtly referencing the anniversary of the crackdown and asking for forgiveness, which he said could make “reconciliation and healing” possible.
Chow said the event from 35 years ago was still a sore point and needed to be handled properly, but said his faith compelled him to forgive anyone and anything.
“Perhaps it is through forgiveness that all parties can escape the accusations and the painful ‘I will never forgive’ mentality,” he wrote.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
