#WhiteTerror #June4
Facebook banned authentic Beijing June 4th massacre photograph

Just two weeks before the 33rd Memorials of June 4th Massacre, a media veteran in Hong Kong found a photograph linked to the Tiananmen crackdown had been banned by Facebook.

The photograph that she posted many years ago showed a tank running over protest student Fang Zhang's legs.

Facebook claimed the photography is inappropriate content linked to "violence and bloodshed".

Even though, Facebook said it didn't violate "Community Standards', it argued that the photograph could be "deemed sensitive to some people."

Notes to editors:
Fang Zheng is a former student protester who was seriously injured during the Tiananmen massacre in 1989 in Beijing, China. During the evacuation of the Square in the early morning of June 4, Fang was run over by a People’s Liberation Army tank, which led to the amputation of both his legs.

Source: RFA Cantonese; #May20
https://www.facebook.com/454004001340790/posts/7424609714280149/?d=n

#PoliticalOppression
Lee Ming-che urges Hongkongers to fight for their freedom

Source: The Chaser News #May16

#PoliticalOppression #AntiExtraditionBill

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#PoliticalOppression
Lee Ming-che urges Hongkongers to fight for their freedom

A human rights activist, a community college administrator, and a former member of Taiwanese political parties including the Democratic Progressive Party (#DPP), Lee Ming-che was arrested by the Chinese government after he entered China via Macau on March 19, 2017.

Lee was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly subverting state power. He was released on April 14 after finishing his prison sentence and returned to Taiwan the next day.

In Lee's interview with the Chaser News, he praised the wisdom of the pro-democratic frontline protesters in their fight against police brutality, which moves everyone on the scene.

This was the first time that Lee talked about the Anti-Extradition Bill movement in Hong Kong.

In his view, the movement showed collaboration between the sensible peace-loving protesters and those courageous frontline activists. During the time, he also saw solidarity inside and outside the Legislative Council. He was deeply impressed.

Walking out from political prosecution in China and regaining freedom, Lee is thankful to those who supported him both domestically and Internationally.

Lee stressed that he will carry on his work defending human rights and prisoners' rights.

Lee is hoping that his experience could help reveal the despicable acts of the Chinese Communist Party. He wanted to become one of the defenders of democracy globally.

Lastly, Lee shared words of encouragement to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, “Freedom is always a war trophy than a present from the ruling power.”

Source: The Chaser News #May16

#PoliticalOppression #AntiExtraditionBill

https://t.me/the_chaser_news/703

#WhiteTerror #FreedomofReligion
Cardinal Joseph Zen appears in court in Hong Kong on day of prayer for China

Ninety-year-old retired Catholic cardinal #JosephZen hosted a packed mass in Hong Kong on the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, just hours after a brief court hearing over charges linked to pro-democracy protests.

In his homily after pleading not guilty to charges of failing to register a pro-democracy association to Hong Kong Police, Zen chose not to speak about his legal case, but to highlight how Catholics in some parts of China cannot attend Mass right now — for they have no freedom now.

Zen dedicated the mass to churches in China where believers are still split between a so-called “underground” church resistant to the government, and a state-sanctioned church belonging to the Chinese Communist Party’s Patriotic Catholic Association.

In his remarks at Mass, Zen again criticised the deal between China and the #Vatican that allows Beijing to nominate bishops for the pope’s approval, calling it “unwise” despite being made with “good intention”.

"There is an urge to unify those above the ground and those underground but it seems that time is not ripe yet,” Zen said.

Implying that there may be more difficult times ahead, Zen said that “we may have to bear some pain and steel ourselves for our loyalty to our faith.”

He also dedicated prayers to churches in Myanmar led by #CardinalBo, his most outspoken supporter in Asia, as well as “brothers and sisters who cannot join tonight because they are not free”.

Zen, one of Asia’s highest-ranking Catholic clerics, was among five prominent democracy advocates — including activist and singer #DeniseHo and veteran human rights barrister #MargaretNg — who were arrested in early May. His arrest is part of a national security police probe into foreign collusion over a legal support fund for pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Instead, all five of the fund’s former trustees and its secretary were charged on May 24 with failing to register it as a “society” with police — a non-national security offence. All plead not guilty.

#NationalSecurityLaw #PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution #Oppression

Image source: #FirstHand
Sources: Reuters, HKFP, UCA News; #May25
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-catholic-cardinal-criticises-china-deal-after-national-security-arrest-2022-05-24/

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Related News
Hong Kong Catholic group will not hold Tiananmen crackdown masses citing fears over national security law
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32764

612 Fund Trustees and Secretary Plead Not Guilty for "Non-registered organisation" Charge
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32751
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#NeverTrustCCP #Disinformation
Report found Beijing's exploitation in search results to shape views of Xinjiang and COVID-19

Source: RFI; #May28

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#NeverTrustCCP #Disinformation
Report found Beijing's exploitation in search results to shape views of Xinjiang and COVID-19

China’s global campaign to expand the reach of its political positions is said to help it secure a coveted piece of online real estate: first-page search results on Google and other major Western portals.

Content reflecting Beijing’s position on its human-rights record and the origins of Covid-19 now regularly appears among top results on Google, Bing and YouTube, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution and another Washington think tank, the Alliance for Securing Democracy, which seeks to study and resist the authoritarian government.

The report found the Chinese state media are "remarkably effective" at influencing the content returned for the term “Xinjiang” across several search types.

“Xinjiang,” which is among the most neutral terms in our data set, regularly returned state-backed content across news searches, with at least one Chinese state-backed news outlet appearing in the top 10 results in 88% of searches (106 out of 120 days searched).

On YouTube, state media appeared among the top 10 results in searches for “Xinjiang” in 98% of searches (118 out of 120 days searched).

Read full report
Winning the web: How Beijing exploits search results to shape views of Xinjiang and COVID-19
https://www.brookings.edu/research/winning-the-web-how-beijing-exploits-search-results-to-shape-views-of-xinjiang-and-covid-19/

Source: RFI; #May28

https://bit.ly/3PMrnvz

#Solidarity #June4
Tiananmen vigil events across globe in solidarity with Hong Kong

"The Chinese government’s concerted efforts to erase the Tiananmen crackdown from history have spread to Hong Kong since the national security law was enacted in the city in 2020. But the atrocities of 4 June 1989 must never be forgotten,” Hana Young, Amnesty International’s East Asia deputy regional director, said in a statement.

Amnesty International and other rights groups have planned events and memorials overseas. Vigils will be held in cities such as San Francisco and Washington DC in the US, Seoul in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Sydney in Australia, Oslo in Norway, Paris in France, Amsterdam in the Netherlands and London in the UK.

#TiananmenMassacre

Source: Amnesty International; #May26
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/05/china-tiananmen-vigil-events-across-globe-in-solidarity-with-hong-kong/

Mourning a Painful History – Respect For Human Rights Has No Geopolitical Borders

By Translated by Guardians of Hong Kong October 17, 2021 • 1 February 2022

The year 2021 marked the 32nd anniversary of the June 4th crackdown in Tiananmen Square. However commemorative activities in Hong Kong were unprecedentedly suppressed. Not only the candlelight vigil was banned for the second consecutive year, but also 26 pan-democrats attending the vigil the year before despite the ban were charged [added in translation: for inciting others to take part in unauthorized assembly] and even jailed. Looking back in history, be it war crimes or state violence, in many instances to hold those accountable for human rights infringements and to bring justice to the victims will take years or even generations.

Source: The Stand News #Oct11

#June4th #HumanRights #ChunDooHwan

Full Story：

https://telegra.ph/Mourning-a-Painful-History--Respect-For-Human-Rights-Has-No-Geopolitical-Borders-02-01

#FirstHand #June3
Hongkongers Insist on Remembering #June4th

In the past, #CandleVigil was held annually in Hong Kong on June 4 to commemorate the victims of 1989 #TiananmenMassacre in Beijing.

Starting from 11pm on June 3, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (#LCSD) of the Hong Kong SAR Government ordered to close the football pitches and the lawn area in #VictoriaPark, to "curb unauthorised assembly".

Over 100 police officers patrolled at all the entrances of the Park since 10:30pm. Some areas in the park were blocked by crowd control barriers.

Mr Sung, an artist who wore a black face mask, arrived at Victoria Park at 9:30pm. He sat on the ground with an umbrella and two e-candles, reading "The History of Modern Mime". The police stopped and searched him and asked him his purpose at the venue. He only answered "no comment".

Despite the heavy rain , Mr Sung didn't back down. He held up his umbrella and continued to sit-in until 11pm, the deadline given by the LCSD.

#Remembrance #PoliceState