Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil leaders charged with subversion

HONG KONG – Hong Kong constabulary charged the radical that organizes the city’s yearly Tiananmen candlelight vigil and 3 of its leaders with subversion nether the nationalist information law, amid an ongoing crackdown connected dissent.

The Hong Kong Alliance successful Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said that the group, its chairman, Lee Cheuk-yan, arsenic good arsenic vice-chairs Albert Ho and Chow Hang-tung were charged precocious Thursday with “inciting subversion of authorities power” nether the nationalist information law. The lawsuit was brought earlier tribunal connected Friday.

Lee and Ho are already serving jailhouse presumption for their roles successful unauthorized protests successful 2019.

Chow and 4 others arrested this week were besides charged with failing to comply with the request to supply accusation for a nationalist information investigation.

Police besides Thursday had raided the closed June 4 museum, which was tally by the confederation to commemorate the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown successful Beijing connected June 4, 1989, and confiscated computers, documents and promotional materials from the venue.

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Police said 2.2 cardinal Hong Kong dollars ($280,000) worthy of assets belonging to the confederation were besides frozen.

The confederation is champion known for organizing candlelight vigils successful a Hong Kong parkland connected the day of China’s bloody crackdown connected pro-democracy protesters successful Beijing’s Tiananmen Square connected June 4, 1989. The lawsuit was attended annually by monolithic crowds, and was the lone large-scale nationalist commemoration of the June 4 crackdown connected Chinese soil.

Authorities person banned the vigils for the past 2 years, citing nationalist wellness risks owed to the pandemic, though critics judge the prohibition is portion of an ongoing crackdown connected dissent successful the metropolis pursuing months of anti-government protests successful 2019.

Dozens of pro-democracy activists person been arrested, others person near the metropolis for exile abroad, and the metropolis has amended electoral laws to summation the fig of seats for pro-Beijing legislators portion reducing those that are straight elected.

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The nationalist information law, imposed by Beijing connected the metropolis successful June past year, criminalizes subversion, secession, coercion and overseas collusion to interfere successful the city's affairs.

Critics accidental the nationalist information law, which has been utilized to apprehension much than 100 people, rolls backmost freedoms promised to the erstwhile British colony erstwhile it was handed implicit to China successful 1997. Hong Kong had been promised it could support freedoms not recovered connected the mainland for 50 years, specified arsenic state of code and assembly.

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