Hong Kong remembers Tiananmen Massacre Anniversary. (Photo : Getty Images)
The June 4 Museum, China's only museum commemorating the June Fourth Incident, will be temporarily closing their doors to the public.
After a longstanding legal battle with the owners of the building that hosts the museum. The legal battle started in April 2014, shortly after opening.
The museum is managed by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. The Alliance decided to cease operations while they are looking for a new venue to rent.
The management and owners of the building claim that the museum "violated the deed and occupation permit, an entertainment ordinance and fire safety codes."
According to Hong Kong pubic court filings on February 16, 2015, Chau Kwok Chiu stated that the museum was a "nuisance" and had caused a "loss of privacy" as well as security concerns that "necessitated more security staff to be hired".
Chau is the chairman of the board of the owner's incorporation.
Since the filing of the lawsuit, the building's guards started to limit the number of visitors. Guests were required to log in and show their IDs upon entering.
Government representatives both from Hong Kong and Beijing refused to give a statement.
Lee Cheuk-yan, a city administrator of Hong Kong, and an active member of the Alliance, suspected that the building owners are being pressured by the government to restrict the museum's operations. He admitted that his suspicions had no proof.
"It's quite sad in a way that we have to close down temporarily," Lee said. "This should not happen in Hong Kong. We are supposed to be free."
The June 4th Incident is a series of student protests in Beijing on June 4, 1989. Thousands of protesters who clamored for democratic rights were killed in Tiananmen Square.
