Hong Kong Authorities Arrest Leaders, of Annual Tiananmen Square Vigil.<br />On September 8, Hong Kong police arrested four leaders of the group that organized the city's annual Tiananmen Square commemorations. .<br />NPR reports that the group's leadership <br />was arrested after refusing to cooperate <br />in a national security investigation.<br />The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China openly challenged the enforcement of a 14-month-old national security law.<br />The group claims that police have <br />arbitrarily labeled pro-democracy <br />organizations as foreign agents.<br />The alliance organizes annual vigils on the anniversary of China's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.<br />The alliance organizes annual vigils on the anniversary of China's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.<br />The event was the only large-scale public <br />commemoration of the June 4 crackdown on Chinese soil.<br />The event was the only large-scale public <br />commemoration of the June 4 crackdown on Chinese soil.<br />The vigils have been banned by authorities <br />for the past two years, citing public health risks <br />due to the pandemic.<br />The vigils have been banned by authorities <br />for the past two years, citing public health risks <br />due to the pandemic.<br />NPR reports that critics believe the ban is part of an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the city after numerous anti-government protests erupted in 2019.<br />On September 7, alliance leaders delivered a letter to police rejecting a request for a detailed account of the group's operations and finances.<br />Police warned that failure to comply could <br />result in a fine and six months in jail
