China tightened already strict access to Tiananmen Square in central Beijing on Sunday, the anniversary of 1989 pro-democracy protests.
In Hong Kong, which had been the last Chinese-controlled territory to hold commemorations, police detained at least two protesters on the eve of the anniversary at Victoria Park.
The large public space had been the scene for an annual candlelight gathering to remember the hundreds or thousands killed when army tanks and infantry descended on central Beijing on the night of June 3 and into the morning of June 4, 1989. Discussion of the events has long been suppressed in China and become increasingly off-limits in Hong Kong since a sweeping national security law was imposed in June 2020, effectively barring anyone from holding memorial events.
The death toll from the 1989 violence remains unknown and the Communist Party relentlessly harasses those at home or overseas who seek to keep the memory of the events alive.
In Beijing, additional security was seen around Tiananmen Square, which has long been ringed with security checks requiring those entering to show identification.
Those passing by foot or on bicycle on Changan Avenue running north of the square were also stopped and forced to show identification.
Those with journalist visas in their passports were told they needed special permission to even approach the area.