A US law firm said on Friday it had withdrawn from helping a Hong Kong university remove a statue honouring slain Tiananmen Square protesters after the firm's role sparked condemnation from human rights groups and US politicians.

The 8-meter-tall copper sculpture has been on display at the University of Hong Kong for more than two decades. It depicts dozens of torn and twisted bodies symbolising those killed in China's Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1989.

Law firm Mayer Brown, which...