Taipei residents gathered Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil in memory of victims of Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989.

It is only in Taiwan, a self-governing island that is claimed by China but runs its own affairs, that large June 4 gatherings can still take place. 

For most Chinese in the region, the 36th anniversary of a bloody crackdown is a taboo and sensitive subject. China bans any public commemoration or mention of the June 4th crackdown, scrubbing references from the internet. 

In recent years, that ban has been extended to Hong Kong, where a once-massive annual candlelight vigil is no longer permitted.

Taiwan transitioned from authoritarianism to democracy in a process that began in the late 1980s. It relies on support principally from the U.S., along with other democratic partners, to deter China from an invasion. 

Lee Ming-che, a Taiwanese pro-democracy activist who was imprisoned in China for five years before his release in 2022, spoke at a memorial event.

“We need to remember,” Lee said. "The People's Republic of China pointed guns at unarmed young students just because these students demanded democracy and freedom,” he added.

Lee was arrested by Chinese authorities in 2017 and charged with subversion of state power. His arrest was China’s first criminal prosecution of a nonprofit worker since Beijing passed a law tightening controls over foreign non-governmental organizations in 2016.

“If Taiwan and Taiwanese people do not want to become China’s slaves, we must but fight back,” Lee told crowds at the memorial event.