Hong Kong police have been cracking down on pro-democracy activists and civil liberties since China imposed a sweeping national security law.

Cheng Wing-chun is accused of replacing China's national anthem with a popular Hong Kong protest song in a YouTube video. A 2020 law in Hong Kong makes insulting the Chinese national anthem illegal.

Coco Lee, who was the first Chinese-descent singer to grace the Oscar stage in 2001, had been suffering from depression for a few years. She had fans around the world.

Three years ago, Beijing imposed a set of new laws on Hong Kong that dissolved many civil liberties. "We've lost our freedom and all forms of protests are now criminalized," a former Hong Kong legislator told DW.

June 4 marks the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. Usually, Hong Kongers take the lead in commemorating this event with massive candle light vigils. But, since China imposed its national security law in 2020, public criticism of the regime in Beijing has become dangerous.

The Civic Party, one of the main democratic groups in the Chinese territory, said its members had agreed to wind up their activities. Almost three years ago, Beijing introduced a security law limiting their activities.