China Digital Times (CDT) reports that the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre was “massively censored within mainland China and Hong Kong.” The CDT article details the extent of censorship on one of the most sensitive topics and dates for the Chinese authorities.
Beijing’s effort to censor all things related to the anniversary was countered by efforts across the globe to commemorate the event. The HongKonger documented a detailed list of commemorative documentary screenings, exhibitions, rallies and talks organized in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan and the United States.
“The Chinese government is seeking to erase memory of the Tiananmen Massacre throughout China and in Hong Kong,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch. “But 35 years on, the government has been unable to extinguish the flames of remembrance for those risking all to promote respect for democracy and human rights in China.”
Human rights organizations in a joint statement honored the memory of protestors and all those who fell in the name of justice and freedom and said “In 1989, the world watched in awe, and then in horror, as the Chinese people bravely stood up and were brutally pushed down. Yet, after the massacre, the United States and other democratic countries chose to embrace the CCP government in the name of trade and investment, allowing it to survive despite its loss of legitimacy. This government, which had chosen to enact violence against its own citizens, was further emboldened to imprison over a million Uyghurs, repress Tibetans to the point of self-immolation, and deprive Hong Kong of its freedom. We strongly urge the international community to prioritize China’s human rights record rather than self-censoring for the sake of short-term economic gains.”
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a resolution commemorating the fallen victims of Tiananmen Square. The resolution condemns the Chinese Communist Party’s widespread use of transnational repression against its citizens and activists, as well as its systematic efforts to undermine human rights norms within the United Nations system.
For More:
Time: Beijing and Hong Kong Tighten Security on Tiananmen Square Massacre’s 35th Anniversary
