Amnesty International: Responding to the arrests of four people for “seditious intention and disorderly conduct” in Hong Kong ahead of the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, Amnesty International’s interim Deputy Regional Director for Research Montse Ferrer said: “The Hong Kong government is once again using colonial-era ‘sedition’ charges to enable its crackdown on freedom of expression as it attempts to stop people commemorating the horrific events of 4 June 1989.

“But the fact that Hongkongers continue to mark the Tiananmen crackdown, despite the ever-growing risks, lays bare the futility of the authorities’ attempts to enforce silence and obedience. “The Hong Kong government’s shameful campaign to stop people marking this anniversary mirrors the censorship of the Chinese central government and is an insult to those killed in the Tiananmen crackdown. “All those arrested simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression should be immediately released, and the Hong Kong police must refrain from targeting others who try to peacefully mark this important anniversary. Commemorating the Tiananmen crackdown is not a crime.”

Read full article: Hong Kong: Tiananmen anniversary arrests highlight deepening repression