Tiananmen Mothers: No Amount of Power Can Rub Out June Fourth

At the request of the Tiananmen Mothers, Human Rights in China issues the following essay by the group in remembrance of their loved ones who were killed in June Fourth 1989. 

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On the 27th Anniversary of the June Fourth Massacre

The Tiananmen Mothers

 June 1, 2016

[Translation by Human Rights in China]

In September last year, a key member of the Tiananmen Mothers group, Mr. Jiang Peikun, passed away. His death was followed by that of Ms. Zhang Shuyun from Shandong. And in April this year, Ms. Han Shuxiang from Dalian died of illness. To date, 41 members from our group of victims’ family members are deceased. Their final regret was not being able to see justice done and wrong redressed!

Twenty-seven years have passed since the June Fourth Massacre of 1989. For us, family members of the victims’ families, it has been 27 years of white terror and suffocation.

For 27 years, the police have been the ones who have dealt with us. For 27 years, they have also been our frequent visitors at home. Each beginning of the year, from the anniversary of the late premier Mr. Zhao Ziyang’s death, to the Two Congresses, Tomb Sweeping Day, anniversary of June Fourth, to major national events and foreign politicians’ visits—we the victims’ families are eavesdropped and surveilled upon by the police; we are followed or even detained, and our computers searched and confiscated. The police use contemptible means such as making up stories, fabricating facts, issuing threats, etc., against us. All these actions undoubtedly desecrate the souls of those who perished in June Fourth, and insult the honors of the living.     

What is worse this year, the police have warned us, is that from April 22 to June 4, visits to Teacher Ding Zilin are being restricted. Those who want to visit her must apply for permission and may visit her only after approval by the Beijing Public Security Bureau, and they may not be accompanied by other victims’ family members.

Teacher Ding Zilin lost two family members last year—what a cruel double blow to an 80-year-old woman. She is physically and mentally exhausted and her state is worrisome. The affection and friendships among us, the victims’ families, have been coalesced by the blood of our family members. Our affection is deep and our friendships are sincere, surpassing those among family members. But even this simple and unadorned affection has been deprived by the police in their detestable perversity and unreasonableness.

For 27 years, we, victims’ families, have rationally maintained our three appeals: truth, accountability, and compensation, in an effort to seek a just resolution to the miscarriage of justice of June Fourth. But the government has ignored us, pretending that the June Fourth Massacre that shocked the whole world never happened in China, and refusing to respond to our appeals, while our fellow countrymen gradually lose the memory of the event.

We must inform the world that this is the current reality of the living conditions of the June Fourth victims' families!

As everyone knows, the June Fourth tragedy resulted from the government’s flagrant mobilizing of the field army to kill peacefully protesting students and citizens. This was unprecedented in the history of China. If the government continues to not face the facts in good faith, and not resolve this problem from a legal perspective, then China will have difficulty preventing this type of tragedy from happening again in the future! Evidence proves that after the suppression of June Fourth the whole country was plagued with corruption from top to bottom, resulting in the current challenges in fighting corruption. 

A government that unscrupulously slaughters its own fellow citizens, a government that does not know how to cherish its own fellow citizens, and a government that forgets, conceals, and covers up the truth of historical suffering has no future—it is a government that is continuing to commit crimes!   

People need to live with dignity and die with dignity. As the families of victims, more than one-third of our individual lives have been lived under the shadow of our loved ones who were shot dead. But we live with strength and optimism—because we hold the firm belief that we need to struggle, work hard, and persevere. In the 27 years of suffering all kinds of hardships, abuse by the authorities, and intimidation, we have nothing left to fear. We are convinced that the June Fourth tragedy will inevitably reach a fair and just resolution—because the truth is on our side, and we have the vigorous support of the just and kind-hearted people of the whole world. We use our immense maternal love to declare publicly to future generations: do not succumb to brute force, confront all evil forces with courage, and justice will prevail! The June Fourth massacre will forever be etched into the history of the world—no amount of power can rub this out!

We persist, with our respects to those who previously fought alongside us and are now deceased, and condolences to loved ones of the victims of the June Fourth massacre! 

Signatories:

尤维洁 You Weijie      

郭丽英 Guo Liying        

张彦秋 Zhang Yanqiu

吴丽虹 Wu Lihong     

尹  敏 Yin Min              

郝义传 Hao Yichuan

祝枝弟 Zhu Zhidi       

叶向荣 Ye Xiangrong    

徐  珏 Xu Jue

丁子霖 Ding Zilin       

张先玲 Zhang Xianling  

王范地 Wang Fandi 

周淑庄 Zhou Shuzhuang        

李雪文 Li Xuewen 钱普泰 Qian Putai           

吴定富 Wu Dingfu    

宋秀玲 Song Xiuling  

孙承康 Sun Chengkang

于  清 Yu Qing             

孙  宁 Sun Ning

黄金平 Huang Jinping 

孟淑英 Meng Shuying           

袁淑敏 Yuan Shumin

王广明 Wang Guangming     

刘梅花 Liu Meihua    

谢京花 Xie Jinghua

马雪琴 Ma Xueqin     

邝瑞荣 Kuang Ruirong          

张树森 Zhang Shusen

杨大榕 Yang Darong 

贺田凤 He Tianfeng  

刘秀臣 Liu Xiuchen

沈桂芳 Shen Guifang 

谢京荣 Xie Jingrong  

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 

王文华 Wang Wenhua          

陈  梅 Chen Mei

周  燕 Zhou Yan         

李桂英 Li Guiying      

徐宝艳 Xu Baoyan

狄孟奇 Di Mengqi     

王  连 Wang Lian       

管卫东 Guan Weidong

高  婕 Gao Jie

刘淑琴 Liu Shuqin      

王双兰 Wang Shuanglan

孙珊萍 Sun Shanping 

张振霞 Zhang Zhenxia          

刘天媛 Liu Tianyuan

黄定英 Huang Dingying        

熊  辉 Xiong Hui         

张彩凤 Zhang Caifeng

何瑞田 He Ruitian                 

田维炎 Tian Weiyan

杨志玉 Yang Zhiyu    

李显远 Li Xianyuan    

王玉芹 Wang Yuqin

曹长先 Cao Changxian          

方  政 Fang Zheng

齐志勇 Qi Zhiyong     

冯友祥 Feng Youxiang           

何兴才 He Xingcai

刘仁安 Liu Renan      

齐国香 Qi Guoxiang  

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

齐志英 Qi Zhiying      

方桂珍 Fang Guizhen

雷  勇 Lei Yong

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           

郭达显 Guo Daxian

王  琳 Wang Lin         

刘  乾 Liu Qian             

朱镜蓉 Zhu Jingrong

金亚喜 Jin Yaxi          

周国林 Zhou Guolin   

穆怀兰 Mu Huailan

王争强 Wang Zhengqiang     

宁书平 Ning Shuping 

曹云兰 Cao Yunlan

隋立松 Sui Lisong      

林武云 Lin Wuyun     

冯淑兰 Feng Shulan

付媛媛 Fu Yuanyuan  

孙淑芳 Sun Shufang  

李春山 Li Chunshan

蒋艳琴 Jiang Yanqin  

何凤亭 He Fengting   

谭淑琴 Tan Shuqin

奚永顺 Xi Yongshun   

肖宗友 Xiao Zongyou

乔秀兰 Qiao Xiulan

陆燕京 Lu Yanjing     

李浩泉 Li Haoquan    

赖运迪   Lai Yundi

周小姣 Zhou Xiaojiao

周运姣 Zhou Yunjiao 

陈永朝 Chen Yongchao

陈永邦 Chen Yongbang         

刘永亮 LiuYongliang 

张景利 Zhang Jingli

孙海文 Sun Haiwen   

王海林 Wang Hailin  

陆三宝 Lu Sanbao

姚月英 Yao Yueying

任改莲 Ren Gailian

倪世殊 Ni Shishu

杨云龙 Yang Yunlong

崔林森 Cui Linsen

(131 in total)

As suggested by members of victims’ families, the names of our deceased group members who had been signatories over the years are also listed below to honor their unfulfilled wish:

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 

轧伟林 Ya Weilin

刘建兰 Liu Jianlan

索秀女 Suo Xiunü

杨子明 Yang Ziming

程淑珍 Cheng Shuzhen

杜东旭 Du Dongxu    

张桂荣 Zhang Guirong

赵廷杰 Zhao Tingjie

陆马生 Lu Masheng  

蒋培坤 Jiang Peikun

任金宝 Ren Jinbao

张淑云 Zhang Shuyun

韩淑香 Han Shuxiang

(41 in total)