The pro-democracy group which for three decades organized in Hong Kong annual vigils in memory of the victims of the repression of Tiananmen Square in Beijing announced on Saturday that it had voted to dissolve it, in the face of growing pressure against dissent in the city.
“
It's a very painful breakup
,” Hong Kong Alliance member Tsang King-shing said after the vote.
“
The government uses all kinds of laws to force a civil society group to disband,
” he added.
Read alsoTiananmen: Hong Kong remembers in silence
The group was one of the most visible symbols of political pluralism in Hong Kong. His disappearance is the latest illustration of the rapidity of Beijing's takeover of the former British colony, a major world business center that was once semi-autonomous. The dissolution of the Hong Kong Alliance came after the scuttling of around 30 militant groups in recent months, including the city's largest union and the coalition that staged the massive pro-democracy protests of 2019.
Chinese state media and pro-Beijing officials in Hong Kong have long accused the Hong Kong Alliance of being a subversive organization.
Earlier this month, police charged three senior officials with subversion, a crime against national security.
Police also ordered the group to shut down its website and social media platforms.
The authorities have promised to revoke its registration as a company.
I still hope to show the convictions of the Hong Kong Alliance to the whole world and continue this movement which has lasted for 32 years.
One of the Alliance leaders, Chow Hang-tung
In a letter written from prison, one of the Alliance's leaders, Chow Hang-tung, urged members not to give up.
"
I still hope to show the convictions of the Hong Kong Alliance to the whole world and continue this movement which has lasted for 32 years already
," he said in a letter posted on his Facebook page.
Two other jailed leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, had signed letters calling for the group's dissolution, citing “
the current social environment
”.
The Alliance was told earlier this year that it was under investigation by the national security unit and ordered to hand over a plethora of documents and details on its members. .
Accusatory letters
Unlike many opposition groups who quickly retreated or obeyed police demands, the Alliance took a more provocative approach.
Many of its leading figures are lawyers and have argued that the police request was illegal.
Also read Hong Kong: 9 pro democracy activists condemned for contributing to the memory of Tiananmen
At the end of August, the city's new national security police sent letters to Alliance leaders, accusing them of being "
an agent of the foreign forces
".
The letters also asked them to hand over the personal information of all members since its founding in 1989, all meeting minutes, income records and its dealings with several NGOs regarding democracy and human rights in China. .
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