Police warn families of Tiananmen crackdown dead not to visit graves on 37th anniversary

By — Ken Moritsugu, Associated Press Ken Moritsugu, Associated Press By — Kanis Leung, Associated Press Kanis Leung, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/police-warn-families-of-tiananmen-crackdown-dead-not-to-visit-graves-on-37th-anniversary Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Police warn families of Tiananmen crackdown dead not to visit graves on 37th anniversary World Jun 4, 2026 12:48 PM EDT BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities are snuffing out any remembrance of the deadly 1989 military crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, which happened 37 years ago Thursday, in a further tightening in a yearslong campaign to erase what happened from public memory. Police told relatives of the victims they would not be allowed to visit a cemetery in Beijing on the anniversary of the crackdown, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of retribution. READ MORE: Tiananmen Square anniversary shows China's ability to suppress history Relatives from a group called Tiananmen Mothers visited the graves for more than 30 years, reading memorial statements while police kept watch, Amnesty International said. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Hundreds of people, and possibly thousands, were killed in 1989 as troops advanced through crowds that were trying to stop the military from reaching the protesters on Tiananmen Square, a vast plaza in the center of the Chinese capital. The decision by the Communist Party leadership to send in the military was a pivotal moment in China's modern history, determining that the market reform that transformed the country into the world's second largest economy would not be coupled with political liberalization. Rubio says censorship can't erase the past In Hong Kong, police stepped up security Thursday at or near a park where a massive candlelight vigil lit up the night every year until a clampdown following major anti-government protests in 2019. A handful of people showed up in the evening. Officers allowed some to go freely — including a man holding flowers and an activist who said she bowed 37 times — but took at least five others away. The U.S., the EU and Britain posted messages on social media marking the anniversary. "No amount of censorship can erase the past," a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio read. "Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated someday." Rows of electronic candles lit up the windows of the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong. WATCH: Tiananmen Square massacre casts a long shadow over modern Chinese politics Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning dismissed his words as a smear on her nation's political system. "We urge the U.S. side to ... stop using so-c