In advance of this year’s “Two Congresses,” due to begin on March 5, the Tiananmen Mothers have issued an open letter to the Fifth Plenary Session of the Eleventh National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
In the letter, the Tiananmen Mothers call on the NPC representatives and CPPCC committee members, now entering the last year of their terms, to use the power in their hands to urge the government to open a dialogue with the Tiananmen Mothers in order to openly and fairly resolve the June Fourth issue. They stress that they hope the government does not make backroom deals or private settlements or try to split the Tiananmen Mothers.
At the request of the Tiananmen Mothers, Human Rights in China (HRIC) has translated the open letter into English. The original Chinese version can be viewed here.
Tiananmen Mothers’ Open Letter to the 5th Session of the 11th National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
February 29, 2012
Dear NPC Representatives and CPPCC Committee Members,
This will be the final session of the five-year term of the current National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
We do not want the reevaluation and just resolution of the 1989 June Fourth Massacre to be delayed indefinitely.
We have always believed that the June Fourth massacre that took place 22 years ago inflicted serious harm to the country and the people, and caused thousands of families to lose their loved ones and tens of thousands of people to be injured and become disabled. It was the most brutal atrocity to occur during the past century of peace in China. It can never be erased with the stroke of a pen by the perpetrators of the carnage, Deng Xiaoping, Li Peng, et al., who reached their “conclusion” in total disregard of facts and defiance of public opinion.
Over the past 22 years, people of all stripes from China and beyond, along with families of victims, including the Tiananmen Mothers, have called time and again for a reevaluation of June Fourth. We have demanded the repudiation of the lies that have been forced upon the 1989 Tiananmen Movement and the restoration of the truth of this great democracy movement. This is a responsibility that the people of China must not shift onto others or alter, and this is a blood debt for which our current state and government leaders must repay the people.
China's leaders have trumpeted in recent years that China is a “great nation on the rise,” that its economy is “booming,” and that it has the “second highest GDP in the world.” Do they truly think that the bloodstains of the June fourth massacre have already been wiped away by their lies and deception, and that they can brazenly play the role of the “sovereign of a major power”? There is an old Chinese saying, “The heavens see all that one does.”
All this is nothing but a display of an extreme lack of self-confidence—all bark and no bite. In today’s world, the civilized forces of the international community cannot tolerate impunity for leaders who have repressed, abused, and even massacred their own people. The state has been widely understood to be a tool to serve the people, never the other way around. No one can hide beyond national sovereignty to recklessly infringe upon human rights. Libya's Muammar Gaddafi was domineering and arrogant, but the dictator vanished in a flash. Why? Very simple: he lacked humanity and neglected human rights; he did not treat people as human beings and slaughtered them at will without blinking. Similarly, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad does not treat people as human beings and slaughters them at will without blinking—he too will not meet a good end! Are the facts unfolding right in front of our eyes not enough to cause China's leaders and the representatives and committee members attending these sessions to be vigilant and ponder?
Every country is being swept forward by the tides of globalization and pluralism—there is no turning back. Modern science and online technology change every day; the world is growing smaller; and the gaps between peoples are shrinking. All have been struck by the tide of globalization whether they like it or not. Today, there are few countries like China, Cuba, Iran, or North Korea. Even China’s paukphaw (compatriot), Myanmar, is changing—Aung San Suu Kyi too will be participating in the country’s by-election this April. This is the way the tides of the world are flowing.
We are again calling for an open and just resolution of June Fourth, something that is entwined with the unstoppable trend of the world.
Our appeal can be summarized in three parts:
Our position, in a phrase, is “legal settlement of political issues.” This is the only feasible way for the just resolution of June Fourth.
A resolution to June Fourth cannot be sought without consultation and dialogue between the government and the people. The consultation and dialogue must be equitable, open, and without any preconditions. We do not advocate any form of “private settlement” in violation of the principle of the rule of law. As innocent victims of the massacre 22 years ago, we have put everything on the table, always in good faith, sincerely, and openly and straight-forwardly. We hope that the government can be just and honorable and also put everything on the table in the same manner and not make backroom deals or use its usual tricks of differential treatment and splitting the parties concerned. Even if only eight or ten of us remain with the passage of time, we will not allow the matter to be settled unilaterally.
If you, our NPC representatives and CPPCC committee members, sincerely wish to do something for our people and country in the final year of your terms, then we fervently look forward to seeing you use the power in your hands to urge the government to open a face-to-face dialogue with the Tiananmen Mothers in order to properly resolve the June Fourth issue.
Signed,
丁子霖 Ding Zilin | 张先玲 Zhang Xianling | 周淑庄 Zhou Shuzhuang |
李雪文 Li Xuewen | 徐 珏 Xu Jue | 尹 敏 Yin Min |
杜东旭 Du Dongxu | 宋秀玲 Song Xiuling | 于 清 Yu Qing |
郭丽英 Guo Liying | 蒋培坤 Jiang Peikun | 王范地 Wang Fandi |
赵廷杰 Zhao Tingjie | 吴定富 Wu Dingfu | 钱普泰 Qian Putai |
孙承康 Sun Chengkang | 尤维洁 You Weijie | 黄金平 Huang Jinping |
贺田凤 He Tianfeng | 孟淑英 Meng Shuying | 袁淑敏 Yuan Shumin |
刘梅花 Liu Meihua | 谢京花 Xie Jinghua | 马雪琴 Ma Xueqin |
邝瑞荣 Kuang Ruirong | 张艳秋 Zhang Yanqiu | 张树森 Zhang Shusen |
杨大榕 Yang Darong | 刘秀臣 Liu Xiuchen | 沈桂芳 Shen Guifang |
谢京荣 Xie Jingrong | 孙 宁 Sun Ning | 王文华 Wang Wenhua |
金贞玉 Jin Zhenyu | 要福荣 Yao Furong | 孟淑珍 Meng Shuzhen |
田淑玲 Tian Shuling | 邵秋风 Shao Qiufeng | 王桂荣 Wang Guirong |
谭汉凤 Tan Hanfeng | 孙恒尧 Sun Hengyao | 陈 梅 Chen Mei |
周 燕 Zhou Yan | 李桂英 Li Guiying | 徐宝艳 Xu Baoyan |
狄孟奇 Di Mengqi | 管卫东 Guan Weidong | 高 婕 Gao Jie |
索秀女 Suo Xiunü | 刘淑琴 Liu Shuqin | 王双兰 Wang Shuanglan |
张振霞 Zhang Zhenxie | 祝枝弟 Zhu Zhidi | 刘天媛 Liu Tianyuan |
黄定英 Huang Dingying | 何瑞田 He Ruitian | 程淑珍 Cheng Shuzhen |
轧伟林 Ya Weilin | 郝义传 Hao Yichuan | 任金宝 Ren Jinbao |
田维炎 Tian Weiyan | 杨志玉 Yang Zhiyu | 齐国香 Qi Guoxiang |
李显远 Li Xianyuan | 张彩凤 Zhang Caifeng | 王玉芹 Wang Yuqin |
韩淑香 Han Shuxiang | 曹长先 Cao Changxian | 方 政 Fang Zheng |
齐志勇 Qi Zhiyong | 冯友祥 Feng Youxiang | 何兴才 He Yingcai |
刘仁安 Liu Ren’an | 熊 辉 Xiong Hui | 韩国刚 Han Guogang |
石 峰 Shi Feng | 庞梅清 Pang Meiqing | 黄 宁 Huang Ning |
王伯冬 Wang Bodong | 张志强 Zhang Zhiqiang | 赵金锁 Zhao Jinsuo |
孔维真 Kong Weizhen | 刘保东 Liu Baodong | 陆玉宝 Lu Yubao |
陆马生 Lu Masheng | 齐志英 Qi Zhiying | 方桂珍 Fang Guizhen |
肖书兰 Xiao Shulan | 葛桂荣 Ge Guirong | 郑秀村 Zheng Xiucun |
王惠蓉 Wang Huirong | 邢承礼 Xing Chengli | 桂德兰 Gui Delan |
王运启 Wang Yunqi | 黄雪芬 Huang Xuefen | 王 琳 Wang Lin |
刘 乾 Liu Qian | 朱镜蓉 Zhu Jingrong | 金亚喜 Jin Yaxi |
周国林 Zhou Guolin | 杨子明 Yang Ziming | 王争强 Wang Zhengqiang |
吴立虹 Wu Lihong | 宁书平 Ning Shuping | 郭达显 Guo Daxian |
曹云兰 Cao Yunlan | 隋立松 Sui Lisong | 王广明 Wang Guangming |
冯淑兰 Feng Shulan | 穆怀兰 Mu Huailan | 付媛媛 Fu Yuanyuan |
孙淑芳 Sun Shufang | 刘建兰 Liu Jianlan | 王 连 Wang Lian |
李春山 Li Chunshan | 蒋艳琴 Jiang Yanqin | 何凤亭 He Fengting |
谭淑琴 Tan Shuqin | 肖宗友 Xiao Zongyou | 乔秀兰 Qiao Xiulan |
张桂荣 Zhang Guirong | 雷 勇 Lei Yong |
(122 total)
In accordance with suggestions by our friends, we have decided to also include the following names of our fellow signers from previous years who have passed away, so as to respect their wishes.
吴学汉 Wu Xuehan | 苏冰娴 Su Bingxian | 姚瑞生 Yao Ruisheng |
杨世钰 Yang Shiyu | 袁长录 Yuan Changlu | 周淑珍 Zhou Shuzhen |
王国先 Wang Guoxian | 包玉田 Bao Yutian | 林景培 Lin Jingpei |
寇玉生 Kou Yusheng | 孟金秀 Meng Jinxiu | 张俊生 Zhang Junsheng |
吴守琴 Wu Shouqin | 周治刚 Zhou Zhigang | 孙秀芝 Sun Xiuzhi |
罗 让 Luo Rang | 严光汉 Yan Guanghan | 李贞英 Li Zhenying |
邝涤清 Kuang Diqing | 段宏炳 Duan Hongbing | 刘春林 Liu Chunlin |
张耀祖 Zhang Yaozu | 李淑娟 Li Shujuan | 杨银山 Yang Yinshan |
王培靖 Wang Peijing | 袁可志 Yuan Kezhi | 潘木治 Pan Muzhi |
萧昌宜 Xiao Changyi |
(28 total)