Mr. Anders B. Johnsson
Secretary General
Inter-Parliamentary Union
C.P. 438
1211 Geneva 19
August 22, 2000
Dear Secretary Johnsson:
On the eve of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments, as the family members of victims and survivors of the 1989 "June 4" incident in China, we extend our heartfelt greetings. We also hope that the Conference will succeed in upholding justice and advancing world peace and security.
It has been reported that heads of parliament from each country have been invited to this Conference, including the Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, Li Peng. Here we ask that the Secretary General, heads of parliament and other world leaders be aware that Li Peng is one of the prime culprits of the June 4 massacre. He cannot represent the Chinese people. For this reason, we believe that Li Peng’s invitation to participate in this Conference is not appropriate.
As everybody knows, the Inter-Parliamentary Union was founded to foster international cooperation and peace. According to Article 1 of the IPU Statutes, the purpose of the IPU is to "work for peace and cooperation among peoples" and to "contribute to the defence and promotion of human rights, which are universal in scope and respect for which is an essential factor of parliamentary democracy and development." In addition, this Conference is being held in the headquarters of the United Nations, the Charter of which solemnly reaffirms humankind’s basic rights, dignity and value.
According to IPU Statutes, the UN Charter and related human rights documents, all people have the right to life, liberty and personal security. These rights should be protected by law and should not be wantonly deprived. We believe that with the large-scale massacre of peaceful protesters and citizens in June 1989, the Chinese government not only violated its own country’s Constitution, but also violated the international obligation borne by every sovereign nation to protect humankind. Moreover, it was an inhumane and brutal atrocity which developed out of a consistent disregard for human and civil rights.
It is especially worth pointing out that during this brutal massacre eleven years ago, Li Peng, as Premier of China’s State Council, not only participated in the highest policy decisions which led to the bloody suppression of non-violent protesters and citizens, but he was also the direct executor of the order.
In view of Li Peng’s responsibility for the June 4 massacre, we, as victims of this massacre, submitted a complaint in 1999 to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate asking for an investigation into Li Peng’s criminal responsibility. However, due to the fact that the Chinese government is again resisting the world trend and stubbornly maintaining its mistaken position on the June 4 incident, the criminal suspect Li Peng remains outside the law. This absolutely will not be tolerated by the peace and justice-loving people of the world. Accordingly, we believe that this Conference should not invite Li Peng to participate. If Li Peng is allowed to attend, it will be a deliberate mockery and blasphemy of the United Nations Charter, the IPU Statutes and international human rights standards.
Due to the above reasons, we strongly request that the IPU cancel Li Peng’s qualifications to attend this Conference. At the same time, in order to protect the sacred United Nations Charter and IPU Statutes, and to promote and guarantee the basic rights and freedoms of all of humankind, we call on heads of parliament and heads of state of all IPU member countries to refuse to issue invitations to Li Peng to make both formal and informal state visits to their respective countries.
Signatories:
Ding Zilin Zhang Xianling Su Bingxian Li Xuewen
Zhou Shuzhuang Xu Baojue Du Dongxu Song Xiuling
Yu Qing Guo Liying Jiang Peikun Wang Fandi
Yuan Kezhi Duan Hongbing Yin Min Zhao Yanjie
Qian Putai Wu Dingfu Sun Chengkang Yang Shiyu
Kuang Diqing You Weijie Huang Jinping He Tianfeng
Meng Shuying Yuan Shumin Liu Meihua Xie Jinghua
Zhou Shuzhen Ma Xueqin Kuang Ruirong Zhang Yanqiu
Zhang Shusen Yang Darong Liu Xiuchen Shen Guifang
Xie Jingrong Sun Ning Wang Guoxian Zhang Junsheng
Yuan Changlu Wang Wenhua Jin Zhenyu Meng Jinxiu
Yao Furong Sun Xiuzhi Meng Shuzhen Tian Shuling
Kou Yusheng Wang Guirong Tan Hanfeng Sun Hengrao
Zhou Yan Li Guiying Xu Baoyan Liu Chunlin
Di Mengqi Yang Yinshan Guan Weidong Gao Jie
Suo Xiunu Liu Shuqin Wang Peijing Wang Shuanglan
Zhang Zhenxia Zhu Zhidi Tao Ruisheng Liu Tianyuan
Pan Muzhi Huang Dingying He Ruitian Cheng Shuzhen
Zhang Yaozu Bao Yutian Ya Weilin Hao Yichuan
Xiao Changyi Ren Jinbao Lin Jingpei Tian Weiyan
Yang Zhiyu Qi Guoxiang Li Xianyuan Zhang Caifeng
Wang Yuqin Han Shuxiang Cao Changxian Fang Zheng
Qi Zhiyong Feng Youxiang He Xingcai Liu Renan
Li Shujuan Xiong Hui Han Guogang Shi Feng
Zhou Zhigang Pang Meiqing Huang Ning Wang Bodong
Zhang Zhiqiang Zhao Jinsuo Kong Weizhen Liu Baodong
Lu Yubao Lu Masheng Qi Zhiying Fang Guizhen
Xiao Shulan Chen Mei Yao Luisheng*
(111 total)
*Mrs. Yao, mother of Xiao Bo died recently, but signed the petition before her death.