Hotline Asia Urgent Appeals -- UA090504(3)

Action Requested || Sample Letter || Background
Please respond before 4 June 2009
Update

Summary

Twenty years ago, the world was expecting democratic change in China. In the Spring of 1989, over a million citizens in Beijing went to the streets to support the justice cause of students to fight against corruption and demand for political reform. Students and citizens gathering at the Tiananmen Square requested to dialogue with the government. Disregarding the intention of the students, government designated the Pro-democracy Movement as a riot and used tanks and guns to suppress the peaceful protest on 4 June 1989. Until now, the number of deaths and the name list are still unavailable.

Twenty years has passed, the Tiananmen Massacre is still a taboo in China. The government uses economic interest to justify the brutal crackdown on one hand, and silent those who demand for accountability from the government on the other hand. Due to the intense censorship, most of the people in China only know that there was a “riot” in 1989 and army entered Beijing to restore public order. To defy the government's strategy to whitewash the bloody history, many family members of victims and activists have been bravely struggling for accountability for the Massacre, and they have paid a high price for it.

As the Tiananmen Massacre marks its 20th anniversary this year, government started to step up harassment to dissidents. In the past few months, Zhang Shijun, a former solider, who expressed his regrets and sent an open letter to President Hu Jintao for vindication of the “June Fourth Verdict”, has been put under surveillance since March. Meanwhile, the former participant of the 1989 Pro-democracy Movement Jiang Qisheng was interrogated and had his home raided by the Beijing Public Security Bureau on 31 March. Another dissent, Prof. Sun Wenguang, aged 75, was assaulted for mourning the ousted Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang and victims of the Massacre on 4 April. A wounded victim of the Massacre, Qi Zhiyong, was put under house arrest since 14 April. Additionally, members of the “Tiananmen Mothers”, which is comprised of victims' families, are subjected to surveillance and harassment. Also, it is estimated that there are more than 100 people held in prison for their involvement in 1989 Pro-democracy Movement or actions concerning the Movement. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement in China states there are around 500 dissidents are barred from returning to China.

Twenty years is a long time, yet time cannot cure the wound of the history, only justice can!

Action Requested

Please write letters to make the government know that international community has not forgotten the Tiananmen Massacre and will continue to support the call to demand accountability. Please specifically request the Chinese authorities to:

• stop harassing the “Tiananmen Mothers” and the dissidents who speak out the truth;
• release all the prisoners of conscience who are jailed in relation to the Pro-democracy Movement;
• investigate the Tiananmen Massacre and publish the report;
• punish the perpetrators of the Massacre; and
• provide remedy to the victims of the Massacre and their families.

Sample Letter

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Background
Pro-democracy Movement 1989
In 1978, Deng Xiaoping engineered economic reform in China which boosted economic development. Nevertheless, without the balance of political reform and the rule of law, corruption was rampant, inflation soared, and income disparity was widespread. The death of former General Secretary of the Communist Party, Hu Yaobang, a liberal reformist who was forced to step down in 1987, triggered off a student movement in 1989. The call of students to pursue democratic reform and fight against corruption drew nationwide support and even support from Chinese communities around the world.

Students raised seven demands, which include reversal of the verdict on Hu Yaobang, publicizing the assets of government officials, removal of restrictions on demonstrations, and allowing press freedom, etc. To protest the non-responsive attitude of the government, students started a hunger strike, using their lives to appeal to the government for genuine dialogue. Regrettably, the government designated the student movement as a “riot”. Although some of the political leaders, like the former General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, were sympathetic with students, they were ousted from power. The hard-liners in the government, headed by Deng Xiaoping, then ordered to suppress the students violently. On 3-4 June 1989, troops entered into Beijing to suppress the Pro-democracy Movement and killed civilians deliberately and indiscriminately. Some examples of atrocities documented by the victims' families includes, internationally-banned explosive bullets were used; wounded victims were not allowed to be sent to hospitals; and even bystanders outside the Tiananmen Square were shot. The Chinese Red Cross estimated that 2,600 people were killed. However, the exact figure is unknown. There are cases of disappearances and remains of victims were buried and destroyed by troops. Responding to condemnation, government first denied there were civilians killed in the crackdown. Later on, it declared there were 300 soldiers and “law-braking criminals” who died, including 23 university students. Until now, many Chinese people are still misinformed about the truth.

Torments in the Aftermath of the Massacre
In the aftermath of the Massacre, many dissidents were still suffering and persecuted for exposing the truth. According to the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, there are over 100 people being held behind bars due to their involvement in the Pro-democracy Movement and those who speak up to demand justice. The following are a few examples of the persecution:

Tiananmen Mothers
“Tiananmen Mothers” is comprised of victims' family members and wounded victims of the Massacre. The major mission of the group is to document deaths, demand for full investigation, as well as accountability from the government. Many members of the Tiananmen Mothers, aged over 70 or even 80 years old, are not spared from surveillance. Outrageously, one of the core members, Jiang Peikun, 72, was harassed by local authorities in October 2008. Scores of police surrounded his home when a friend visited him. He suffered from heart attack immediately and then got a stroke after the incident.

Shi Tao
In 2004, Chinese Central Propaganda Department issued a communiqué on how journalists should handle the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Shi Tao, journalist, sent an email to an overseas contact on the communiqué. He was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment under the charge of “leaking state secrets”.

Jiang Qisheng
Jiang Qisheng was one of the student leaders in the 1989 Pro-democracy Movement as a PhD student. He was imprisoned for five months after the crackdown. In 1999, when the Massacre marked its 10th year, he was imprisoned again for 4 years for writing an article on the Tiananmen Massacre. On 31 March this year, his home was raided by 15 officers from the Beijing Public Security Bureau and he was summoned for interrogation, but fortunately released on the same day.

Sun Wenguang
A Shandong professor, Sun Wenguang, 75, was severely beaten up, and had three ribs broken, for mourning Zhao Ziyang and victims of the Tiananmen Massacre on Ching Ming Festival on 4 April 2009. Before he left his home for the Jianan's Martyrs' Park, he was blocked by 20 police officers.

For more information, please refer to ACPP's Backgrounder on Tiananmen Massacre issued in April 2009, <http://www.acpp.org/uappeals/bground/Backgrounder%20on%20June%204th%20_final.pdf>.

Sources:
South China Morning Post
Tiananmen Mothers Campaign
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China

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Thank you for Your Continued Support!!