Hong Kong police detained eight people, including activists and artists, on the eve of the 34th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown, a move that signals the city's shrinking freedom of expression.
Police said in a statement late Saturday that four people have been arrested for allegedly disrupting order in public spaces or carrying out acts with seditious intent. Four others were taken away for investigation on suspicion of breaching public peace. Authorities did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment late Saturday.
During the pandemic, protests in Hong Kong were rare due to COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, many activists there have been silenced or jailed after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law following massive protests in 2019. Critics say the city's freedom of assembly that was promised Hong Kong when it returned to China from Britain in 1997 has been eroded.
Earlier Saturday, activists Kwan Chun-pong and Lau Ka-yee were detained after appearing near the former site of the candlelight vigil to say they would not eat for about 24 hours to mourn the victims. This relatively mild act of protest nevertheless prompted police officers to arrive within minutes and cordon off the pair, who later put red tape over their mouths. An officer warned them that they might be breaching the law for having seditious intent, and ordered them to stop their activities or they might be arrested.As night fell, police took away five others, including two artists, Sanmu Chen and Chan Mei-tung.
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