A group of 110 family members of those killed and wounded in the June 4 Massacre have demanded that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) cancel an invitation to former Chinese Premier Li Peng to participate in the Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments. In an open letter to IPU Secretary-General Mr. Anders Johnsson, the group states that Li Peng, the current Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress, bears primary responsibility for the June 4 Massacre and therefore cannot represent the Chinese people at the international conference, which is being held in New York in conjunction with the UN Millennium Assembly. The signatories also call on heads of state of all IPU member countries to refuse to issue invitations to Li Peng for both formal and informal state visits to their countries. The letter has been sent to Secretary Johnsson, as well as to Dr. Najma Akbarali Heptulla, President of the IPU Council. Human Rights in China hopes that Secretary Johnsson, Dr. Heptulla, and all participating heads of parliament will hear the demands of the signatories and take this opportunity to uphold the IPU’s aim to "contribute to the defence and promotion of human rights - an essential factor of parliamentary democracy and development."

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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.