Human Rights in China strongly condemns the Chinese government’s block of the Tiananmen Mothers' website (tiananmenmother.org) within China just hours after its launch on May 28.
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If the authorities continue to cover up the truth of the events of 19 years ago, how can the international community trust in official reports on the Sichuan earthquake, or the government's human rights and Olympics promises?
“This censorship on the eve of the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, reflects the government’s hard-line rejection of the Tiananmen Mothers’ reasonable and wholly justified demands for justice, including direct dialogue between the government, victims and their families,” said Human Rights in China Executive Director Sharon Hom. “If the authorities continue to cover up the truth of the events of 19 years ago, how can the international community trust in official reports on the Sichuan earthquake, or the government’s human rights and Olympics promises?”
The Tiananmen Mothers is an organization of family members of the victims of the violent 1989 crackdown, carried out by the Chinese military on June 3–4 of that year. The Tiananmen Mothers send appeals every year to China’s leaders, the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference seeking publication of the facts about the crackdown, a public apology, compensation, and a judicial investigation of the events. Over the past 19 years, the Chinese authorities have never responded to their requests.
For more information on the Tiananmen Mothers, see:
- Recently-launched website of the Tiananmen Mothers: http://www.tiananmenmother.org/;
- HRIC Statement: Chinese authorities should respond to calls for dialogue by the Tiananmen Mothers, February 27, 2008, http://hrichina.org/public/contents/47439;
- HRIC Press Release: “Tiananmen Mothers” Publish Maps Including Locations of June Fourth Victims’ Deaths, May 27, 2008, http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/54976;
- HRIC Statement: Congratulations to the Tiananmen Mothers on the Establishment of their Website, May 27, 2008 http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/55062;
- HRIC’s "About the Tiananmen Mothers" Section: http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/category?cid=8301.
Take Action for human rights defenders! Visit Human Rights in China’s 2008 Take Action Olympics Campaign in June for information about the Tiananmen crackdown: http://www.ir2008.org.