Hong Kong Watch commemorates Tiananmen Square massacre and calls on the free world to ensure that as the Beijing regime tries to erase history, “the truth prevails”

On the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing and the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters across China in 1989, Hong Kong Watch stands in solidarity with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists and dissidents from across China in commemorating the tragedy.

Until the imposition of the draconian National Security Law in Hong Kong, the city was the one place under the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China where the 4 June massacre could be commemorated.

Until three years ago, Hong Kong’s Victoria Park was filled with thousands of people in a candlelit vigil every year to mark the anniversary, and churches across Hong Kong were open for prayer vigils.

Today, such commemorations in Hong Kong and across China are prohibited, and so it is even more important that people in democracies around the world continue to remember the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, said:

“It is vital that we never forget the courage and sacrifice of so many brave people across China and in Tiananmen Square 34 years ago, and the brave commitment of thousands of people in Hong Kong who showed determination over the past three decades to make sure that the Tiananmen Square massacre was always commemorated.

Now that it is so much more difficult and dangerous for people in Hong Kong to publicly remember 4 June, it is the responsibility of those of us around the world who enjoy freedom to make sure we use our freedoms to ensure 4 June is never forgotten.

As the Chinese Communist Party regime in Hong Kong prohibits commemorations and even investigates stores for the simple act of distributing candles, we must ensure that in every corner of the world candles are lit and memories rekindled and that the courage and sacrifice of those who protested in 1989 is always remembered.

As the regime in Beijing tries to erase the truth and whitewash history, we must ensure that the historical record remains known and that the truth prevails.”