Dogged activism keeps Tiananmen flame burning 36 years on

World marks crackdown anniversary as China maintains tight grip on Hong Kong

20250604 Tienanmen Square

Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, and on March 8, 2025. (Source photos by Reuters and Tomoki Mera) 

KENJI KAWASE

TOKYO -- Thirty-six years after Chinese authorities violently suppressed unarmed students and other civilians in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, dedicated groups and individuals around the world are keeping the memory alive.

Today, the center of the Chinese capital appears peaceful under tighter-than-usual surveillance, while in Hong Kong -- once a center for commemoration of the victims -- public displays have been rendered impossible by the strict national security law imposed five years ago.

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