Tiananmen Mothers Call for End to Censorship over June 4th Crackdown

Human Rights in China (HRIC) has received an open letter from Ding
Zilin and other members of the Tiananmen Mothers calling on the
Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to remove the June 4th incident from the "off
limits zone" of discussion and reveal the truth about the official crackdown on
unarmed protesters in Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

The open letter,
signed by 128 victims and family members of people killed in the crackdown, has
three parts that include:

1. A review of the pain and suffering survivors and family members have felt
   over the past 17 years, and a call for the incident to be reevaluated through
   some kind of judicial process. The letter states that the official term "riot"
   is an inadequate attempt to dismiss this "wound of history."
   
   
2. Calls for Chinese officials to remove their ban on three books: Zhao
   Ziyang: Captive Conversations, by Zong Fengming; Searching for the
   Victims of June 4th, by Ding Zilin; and The Moment of Truth (also
   known as June 4th Journal), by former Chinese Premier Li Peng. All
   these books provide first-hand accounts of the June 4th crackdown and its
   ramifications. The open letter observes, "The appropriate handling of these
   books is a test of whether the era-defining wrongs of June 4th can ever be
   justly resolved, and whether the freedom of expression and of the press
   granted under China's Constitution actually exists," and for that reason
   should be a matter of deep concern to members of the NPC and CPPCC.
   
   
3. A reiteration of three basic demands: a fresh investigation into the
   incident, a public accounting and appropriate restitution, and prosecution of
   those responsible. The Tiananmen Mothers have made these same three demands in
   each of the past 12 years, but have never received a response from the
   authorities.
   
   

The open letter concludes, "A just and reasonable
resolution of the June 4th question is an inevitable trend, and is what the
people desire." In order to break the stalemate of the past 17 years since the
crackdown, the Tiananmen Mothers call for the topic of June 4th to be removed
from the "off limits zone" of discussion and for the truth to be revealed,
specifically by NPC delegates "using the legislative processes to discuss, draft
and issue a resolution protecting freedom of expression and the press and
abolishing censorship." The full text of the open letter is appended to the
Chinese version of this press release.

HRIC fully supports the calls of
the Tiananmen Mothers for an open discussion and resolution of the June 4th
crackdown. Over the years since the Tiananmen Mothers group was formed, 14
members have passed away without seeing justice for their family members, and
many remaining members of the group are in their 80s and 90s. The refusal to
acknowledge the group's demands contradicts the Chinese government's public
commitment to the rule of law and a "harmonious society." HRIC urges NPC and
CPPCC delegates to seriously consider the open letter and begin moving toward a
comprehensive and transparent assessment of the June 4th
crackdown.