Activists in China who commemorated the Tiananmen massacre have been detained, as mainland authorities clamp down on information related to the bloody events of June 4, 1989.
As tens of thousands attended a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park in Hong Kong on Sunday, discussion of the massacre was stifled in the mainland.
Following months of student-led protests calling for democracy and an end to corruption, hundreds, perhaps thousands of people died when the Chinese government sent armed troops and tanks to end the demonstrations in Beijing.
At least eight activists who staged a creative tribute in Zhuzhou, Hunan on Saturday night were taken away by police on Sunday morning, according to Amnesty International researcher Patrick Poon.
The activists formed the Chinese characters for six and four with their bodies and took photos with a drone.
An activist named Chen Xiaoping will be detained for seven days, while his roommates were summoned by police and released Sunday afternoon, Poon said.
至少有八位被抓：郭閩、陳思明、陳小平、唐雪雲（女）、唐玉春（女）、孫華柱、郭大聖、李明。
網名臨時外務的陳小平被拘留七天，和陳小平合租房子住但沒有參與活動的劉振華和吳曉彬昨天被傳喚，今天上午才出來。
唐玉春於6月5日凌晨兩點被派出所警察帶走。
郭大聖今天早上八點多失聯。 https://t.co/41ZgOKBW8D
— Patrick Poon 潘嘉偉😷🦚 (@patrickpoon) June 5, 2017
Guangzhou activist Li Xiaoling posted photos of herself holding a placard in front of Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Saturday.
Activists say that she was taken away by Beijing police in the early morning of Sunday, along with two others.
Meanwhile, popular microblogging platform Weibo blocked overseas users from posting photos and video between Saturday and Monday, citing a system upgrade.
All users were also prevented from changing their personal information and commenting with photos on other users’ posts.
US-backed Radio Free Asia reported that security was boosted in Beijing before the anniversary, with police setting up roadblocks and identity checks around Muxidi, an area that was the site of battles between local citizens and Chinese troops in 1989.
