Chinese Government Remains Silent During Tiananmen Square Anniversary
June 10, 2010
By: Randi Zung

Twenty-one years ago, tens of thousands of Chinese pro-democracy protestors demonstrated in Tiananmen Square to call for democratic reforms and an end to government corruption.  The protest lasted for seven weeks before government troops attacked the protestors – most of whom were students – in a violent crackdown.  The confrontation, which was condemned by the international community, left hundreds imprisoned, injured, and dead.  A little over two decades later, China’s repressive government still actively works to silence its people by threatening imprisonment for any Chinese citizen who publicly speaks about the government’s role in the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Although the Chinese government has continually repressed all public recognition of the events of June 4, 1989, the International Business Times reports that the Chinese government was especially strict this year.  In Hong Kong, one of China’s special autonomous zones that was granted a large amount of sovereignty from the mainland, Chinese officials arrested democracy activists who had gathered to hold a candlelight vigil in memory of the victims.  Police also confiscated the Goddess of Democracy replica statue, a symbol of the Tiananmen movement.

According to Sharon Hom, the executive director of Human Rights in China, the Chinese government has remained mum about the events of June 1989.  Hom stated, “The government still has not released any information on the incidents, or the number of people killed and imprisoned.”  In addition, Hom also commented that the Chinese government has been actively trying to teach schoolchildren that the events of Tiananmen Square were the fault of the West.

Voice of America reports that the United States government continues to press the Chinese government to release an official account of the deadly crackdown –  including the names of victims, individuals who were detained or missing, and has called for an end to government-led harassment of those who participated in the demonstrations.  AFP reports that on June 4, in a statement by State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, the United States also called for the Chinese government to respect international human rights laws and release political prisoners who had been detained since being arrested for their participation in the Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

Sources:
The International Business Times - Tiananmen Square: after over two decades democracy still held down in China

AFP - US urges China to free activists on Tiananmen anniversary

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