Joshua Wong, a Hong Kong democracy activist, is among four people who pleaded guilty to illegally gathering on June 4, 2020 to commemorate the 1989 crackdown of protests in Tiananmen Square. Joshua Wong has been sentenced to time in prison prior to his most recent conviction. In 2019 he organized and assembled a pro-democracy protest, for which he was arrested and charged. Wong is the best known young political activist in Hong Kong, and has been given 13 months in jail.
Last summer marked the first time a vigil has been banned by Beijing, police officials citing coronavirus restriction on group sizes as the cause. However, despite the regulations tens of thousands of candles were lit around the city during a mostly peaceful event last June.
Currently, a day rarely passes without a young activist being convicted by the oppressive authorities. In fact, since last June, almost 10,00 people have been arrested, about 1,00 of those detainees were under 18 years old, and 2,300 have been persecuted.
Due to this rise in arrests, the courts have begun to overfill and move inefficiently. This crackdown occurred due to new security legislation enacted last July that allows punishment for anything Beijing observes as subversion, succession, terrorism, or colluding with foreign forces. This new legislation can be observed as China’s attempt to oppresses any influence of opposition figures. As China establishes it’s influence on the world stage, it is working to retain power within its own country.
After the conviction of Wong and his fellow activists, dozens of supporters gathered in front of the courthouse to demonstrate their dismay. While commemorations or recognition of the Tiananmen crackdown are banned in mainland China, the Hong Kong community has traditionally held the largest vigils globally each year. The vigils mark a recognition of the thousands (the true number is unknown due to Chinese officials refusing to release information) who were murdered in 1989. The crackdown last summer was not due to COVID-19, but rather an attempt to use the pandemic to suppress recognition of Beijing’s actions.
NGOs and human rights groups will work with activists in Hong Kong to pursue fair and reasonable treatment. However, it is unlikely that any government global actors will demonstrate strong support for protesters in Hong Kong, because doing so will hurt their relationship with Beijing while offering no benefit for their national interest.