The US has criticized China for banning Hong Kong commemorations on the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre.
"Today, the struggle for democracy and freedom continues to reverberate in Hong Kong, where the annual Tiananmen Massacre commemoration vigil has been banned by the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong authorities to erase memories of the day," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinke .
Blinken affirmed: "We will not forget June 4th - for the Chinese people and for all who continue to fight against injustice and for freedom." He also referred to "atrocities and human rights violations" by the Chinese government in "Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet".
Protests violently crushed in 1989
Vigils will be held around the world on Saturday, but not in Hong Kong.
The human rights organization Amnesty International is coordinating candlelight vigils in 20 cities "to demand justice and show solidarity with Hong Kong".
On June 4, 1989, the Chinese army used soldiers and tanks to violently suppress student protests on Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
It is still unclear how many people were killed.
Amnesty International speaks of several hundred to several thousand victims.
For decades, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was the only place in China where a commemoration of the Tiananmen dead was still tolerated.
On Thursday, however, Hong Kong authorities warned the population not to attend an "unlawful assembly" in Victoria Park.
In Hong Kong, the dead of the massacre were traditionally commemorated with a vigil in Victoria Park.
After months of mass protests in 2019 against Beijing's growing influence, China introduced a so-called National Security Law in July 2020.
It allows authorities in the SAR to crack down on any activity they deem to threaten China's national security.
The Hong Kong Alliance's Tiananmen commemoration organizers have been classified as "foreign agents."