Key facts
- Tang Ngok-kwan continues to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Hong Kong.
- Two former colleagues of Tang were convicted under a national security law for inciting subversion.
- Tang visited former vigil sites and read victim names.
- The Hong Kong Alliance, which organized the annual vigil, was found guilty.
- Tang believes the convictions were unjust and feels wronged for those convicted.
Tang Ngok-kwan, a former organizer of Hong Kong's now-defunct annual candlelight vigil commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown, continues to observe the event privately despite facing a climate of political repression. Tang visited Victoria Park, the former site of the vigil, and read a list of victims' names on the eve of the anniversary, an act that has become a political taboo in mainland China and increasingly sensitive in Hong Kong.
His actions come as two of his former colleagues from the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were convicted Friday under Beijing's national security law. The group itself was also found guilty of inciting subversion, facing a maximum of 10 years in prison. Tang expressed that the verdict was unjust and that he felt wronged on behalf of those convicted.
Tang, who was an ordinary young man when he participated in protests supporting the 1989 student-led movement, joined efforts to help those wanted by authorities after the crackdown. The alliance subsequently organized the large-scale public vigil for three decades until it was banned in 2020, citing public health risks. Weeks later, Beijing imposed the national security law.
The alliance faced scrutiny in 2021, with a mainland Chinese official criticizing its slogan "end one-party dictatorship." Police sought details about its operations and finances, accusing it of being a foreign agent. The group refused to cooperate, leading to arrests of core members, including Tang, who was later sentenced to 4 1/2 months in prison for the refusal. His prison term coincided with the 35th anniversary of the crackdown, which he commemorated by running 35 laps barefoot. The convictions of Tang, Chow Hang-tung, and Albert Ho for this offense were later quashed by Hong Kong's top court in 2025, though they had already served their sentences.
The legal battles continued, with the trial for Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung commencing in January. Tang regularly attended their court proceedings. Commemorating the crackdown publicly had become increasingly difficult, with police detaining individuals attempting to do so near the former vigil site. Tang noted the 64 steps from a subway station to the court, a number he associated with the June 4 anniversary, describing his attention to such details as "pathological" and a way to cope when concrete actions are not possible.