Rights group urges China to address Tiananmen Massacre after 36 years News
美國之音, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Rights group urges China to address Tiananmen Massacre after 36 years

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged China on Tuesday to address the Tiananmen Massacre, including by halting censorship, allowing commemorations, compensating the victims’ families, and holding the perpetrators accountable. This statement comes ahead of the 36th anniversary of the killing of hundreds of peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on June 4, 1989.

China researcher at HRW, Yalkun Uluyol said:

The Chinese government has never owned up to the Tiananmen Massacre, much less provided redress for victims and their families. Beijing’s enforced amnesia has deepened authoritarian rule in China, yet it has not extinguished demands for the truth, democracy, and respect for human rights.

HRW highlighted that the Chinese government had imposed a nationwide ban on commemorations of the Tiananmen Massacre, which was subsequently extended to Hong Kong in 2021. This includes a preemptive crackdown on commemorators like Tiananmen Mothers by subjecting them to strict surveillance. Moreover, the classified documents leaked to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) today reveal that the Chinese government has been using AI to censor the Tiananmen Massacre, with the aim of erasing its memory. The AI is trained under the direction of the Cyberspace Administration of China to censor any visual or symbolic references to the Massacre, which could create fake history.

Despite the crackdown, a civil society group, the Hong Kong Democracy Council, has planned “77 events in 40 cities in 10 countries” to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. HRW called on the Chinese government to respect the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and to take responsibility for the Massacre by setting up an independent public inquiry, and apologizing to the victims’ family members.

The Tiananmen Massacre was prompted by the peaceful gathering of tens of thousands of students who advocated for democratic reform, protection of human rights, and an end to rampant corruption, following the death of Hu Yaobang, former General Secretary of the Communist Party. Yaobang had been a symbol of anti-corruption and political reform. The government responded to the escalating demonstrations with military force by killing and injuring hundreds of people.

Following the Massacre, the Chinese government carried out a nationwide crackdown and charged thousands of people with “counterrevolutionary” crimes. The government has never accepted responsibility or held the perpetrators legally accountable for the mass killings.

China has also recently come under international scrutiny over the persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and human rights violations in Hong Kong.

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