July 10, 2003

Having known that over 500,000 Hong Kong citizens marched on streets on July 1 protesting against the legislation of the draconian law on implementing Article 23, we again learned from radio news report that more than 50,000 people joined an assembly on July 9. Being the victims and mothers of our beloved ones who were killed in the June Fourth massacre, we are shocked with excitement and are full of encouragement. Here we would like to express our deepest sympathy and our biggest solidarity to comrades in Hong Kong for your action to fight for justice.

Having gone through so many years of bloodshed and tears have we understood deeply the preciousness of freedom. When you lose freedom, you lose everything! Unfortunately, after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, we have witnessed the diminishment of freedoms, dignity and rights of our Hong Kong comrades and the conditions for livelihood is deteriorating gradually. We feel extremely anxious about this. We really do not want you to suffer from what we had experienced and that we are still suffering from in mainland China. We hope sincerely that our Hong Kong comrades could enjoy all the rights given by the promise of “Hong Kong ruled by Hong Kong people” and be able to take good hold of your own faith.

Here we urge the central government to respect the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people; to keep the promise of “maintaining the existing system of Hong Kong remains unchanged for 50 years” in earnest; and to resolutely stop the intervention about the affairs of Hong Kong so as to protect the full autonomy of Hong Kong.

As for the protection of full enjoyment of universal human rights and civil rights of Hong Kong people, we urge the HKSAR administration to listen to people’s opinion and wills and to stop immediately the process of the legislation for implementing Article 23 of Basic Law, which is against the wills of Hong Kong people.

We support our Hong Kong comrades for your demands for democracy and to exercise your civil rights in accord with your consent without restriction. We also support your demand of having direct election for the Chief Executive so as to ensure the continuation of the democratic political system of Hong Kong as well as its stability and prosperity under such with freedoms and the rule of law.

Lastly, we would like to say that the massacre happened 14 years ago have already closely linked our hearts and faiths with yours. Today, we are determined to stand by you in solidarity. Although we could not participate in the line of protest with you, your voices of justice are listened attentively at every moment and we echo your call from deep in our hearts. We would like to send our best wishes and our whole-hearted admiration to you all.

Ding Zilin and all the other Tiananmen Mothers