Zoom shuts accounts of activists holding Tiananmen Square and Hong Kong events

Three campaigners accuse US firm of disrupting their access to platform to placate China

Three prominent human rights activists have accused Zoom of disrupting or shutting down their accounts because they were linked to events to mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre or were to discuss China's measures to exert control over Hong Kong.

Lee Cheuk Yan, a veteran activist with the Hong Kong Alliance, which organises the city's annual Tiananmen Square vigil, said his account was shut down in May before he was to host a Zoom event on an extradition bill that caused mass anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year. Lee said he purchased a subscription to the platform in an effort to get access, but his account remained blocked.