Excerpted from Global Post:
GAO WENQIAN worked as a communist party scholar of Chinese history when he witnessed the protests and crackdown. He is the author of Zhou Enlai: The Last Perfect Revolutionary. Gao believes the Chinese government will have to face the consequences of its actions someday because:
"First, the Tiananmen massacre is unprecedented in China's modern history. What was most unforgivable was that a government would order its standing army to openly massacre its people. The right to life is the most sacred of rights and there is no graver violation of human rights than this act. If such a crime against humanity goes unpunished by history, then there is simply no justice in this world at all!"
"Second, June 4th is the 'death point' of the Communist Party. So in my view, in no way will the party grant June 4th justice. However, the June 4th incident was not isolated, but the result of the contradictions and conflicts inherent in the one-party system. After 20 years, the social contradictions that led to June 4th have not been solved but have in fact intensified. China now is just like an orange in the late spring: fair without, foul within. Under the veneer of economic prosperity, the body of society is festering; danger lurks everywhere. June 4th has become an obstacle that has blocked social transformation."
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For more information on this issue, see:
- Human Rights in China, June Fourth Resources
- "Portraits of Lives Lost and the Quest for Justice," A video by the Tiananmen Mothers
- Human Rights in China, June Fourth Prisoner List, May 2009
- Human Rights in China, June Fourth Podcast Series
- Human Rights in China, “Tiananmen Mothers: Public Statement on the 20th Anniversary of the June Fourth Massacre,” May 27, 2009