Defence argues Tiananmen vigil activists’ actions ‘lawful’ exercise of rights

A disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Square vigil had only intended to promote democracy and greater political freedom when it advocated the abolition of the mainland’s one-party rule, a defence lawyer has said in a high-profile national security trial. Defence counsel Erik Shum Sze-man on Wednesday said ending the Communist Party of China’s one-party rule would have been a solution to the political crisis after Beijing’s military crackdown on pro-democracy protests on June 4,...