On 4 June 2022, people around the world, including many Chinese activists and religious communities, will gather to remember the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989.
They will do so amid ongoing reports of grave human rights violations in the country.
Commemorating the massacre in Tiananmen Square is forbidden in mainland China. Every year around the time of the anniversary, families of victims and activists are subject to government harassment, detention or enforced disappearance. In recent years, individuals attempting to mark the anniversary have been detained by police simply for holding up a placard or posting a social media message containing the words ‘June 4th’. Chinese Christian Gao Heng, who was arrested after holding up a placard stating “June 4th, Pray for the Nation” in a metro station in Guangzhou on 4 June 2021, remains in detention.
This year, members of “Tiananmen Mothers” are reportedly blocked from receiving overseas calls, in an apparent attempt to prevent them from speaking to foreign media. They have still not received an official response to their demands for ‘truth, compensation and accountability’. Many veteran activists who have campaigned for justice for Tiananmen victims are either in jail or exile, or have already died. In addition to the well-known cases of Li Wangyang and Liu Xiaobo, Sun Wenguang, a retired professor, has reportedly also died during enforced disappearance. Any efforts to seek the truth behind their deaths are met with retaliation from the authorities.
For decades, Hong Kong has kept alive the memory of the 1989 protests and massacre. However, for what is thought to be the first time in 33 years, there will be no public gathering to commemorate this year’s anniversary. In the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have cracked down on candlelit vigils and a memorial museum in the city, and jailed prominent activists for organising or taking part in the vigils. In May 2022, the Hong Kong Catholic Social Communications Office told Hong Kong Free Press that they will not hold masses to commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown this year, citing fears from staff over the National Security Law.
In Taiwan, Tokyo, London, Washington D.C., Vancouver, and many other cities worldwide, various groups, including human rights organisations, are planning commemorative events. According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), the New School for Democracy will co-host a vigil in Taiwan on the night of 3 to 4 June, now that the Hong Kong annual vigil in Victoria Park cannot go ahead. RFA also reported that the Taiwan branch of Amnesty International plans to premiere “May 35th”, a Hong Kong stage play about the Tiananmen Massacre, on 1 and 3 June. Former student leaders of the 1989 protests and other exiled dissidents are planning to set up a permanent June 4th memorial museum in New York, while in Taiwan, activists are resurrecting the Pillar of Shame, which was dismantled and removed from the University of Hong Kong in December 2021.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: “The Chinese authorities continue to prevent any commemorations of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, while bereaved families are still not allowed to properly mourn loved ones who tragically lost their lives 33 years ago, or to seek justice for them. China’s human rights situation is in its darkest period since 1989. The Tiananmen Mothers, and other survivors and activists, deserve our deep respect and solidarity for their long fight for truth and justice. As some relatives of victims and eyewitnesses pass away, even while the de facto ban on Tiananmen commemorations is still in effect, preserving memories and seeking accountability is becoming ever harder. It is vital that the rest of the world keeps remembering Tiananmen, and standing with courageous human rights activists throughout China. We must seek and speak the truth about human rights violations past and present, and call for justice for victims of extrajudicial killings and abuses at every opportunity.”
