In China, the 25th anniversary of the crackdown on student protesters in Tiananmen Square was marked by silence. Tourists were prevented from walking on the square by armed guards. Internet service and access to websites such as Google were blocked.
In Washington, D.C., however, the events have been remembered through several observances.
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Chinese activists Liu Xiaobo and Xu Zhiyong received the 2014 Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) on May 29. The Democracy Service Medal was awarded to retiring Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) at the same ceremony for his role in promoting human rights around the globe.
Liu is generally credited for his efforts in preventing further violence by negotiating with the commanders of the People’s Liberation Army to allow students to peacefully leave the square.
Both Liu and Xu are currently imprisoned in China. Liu is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for “inciting subversion of the state power.” Xu was found guilty of “gathering a crowd and disturbing public order,” a crime for which he is currently serving four years.
“Since the regime in China has chosen to silence those voices, we are here to make sure those voices are heard,” NED Chairman Martin Frost said. “We urge the Chinese government to release Liu Xiaobo and Xu Huiyong.”
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, accepting the award on Liu’s behalf, condemned the events of a quarter century ago.
“Whatever the Chinese government thought they were doing, it backfired,” she said. “Human expression is the foundation of human rights and of truth. Together, we will continue to fight for human rights and freedom in China.”
Hua Ze, a documentary filmmaker and close friend of Xu, accepted the award on Xu’s behalf.
“The national inalienable rights of all members of the human family are the foundation of freedom,” she said.
In his acceptance of the service medal, Wolf condemned the human rights violations of China.
“Every day, I pray for the peaceful fall of the Chinese government,” he said.
At the American Enterprise Institute on Tuesday, Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng spoke on the events of June 4, 1989.
“They killed hundreds of their own people in order to silence them,” he said. “I will not be silenced.”
Guangcheng served a prison sentence between 2006 and 2010 for “damaging property and organizing a mob to disturb traffic” during a protest. He later escaped a subsequent house arrest and fled to the United States in 2012, accepting a job at the Witherspoon Institute in October 2013.
“The movement was by students and ordinary citizens who wanted democracy and freedom and opposed government corruption,” he said. “Many young people died. Many fled the country. The Communist Party of China continues its dictatorship.”
Guangcheng condemned the Chinese government for not holding those who ordered the crackdown responsible.
“It’s a [tragedy] for the Chinese people and it’s a [tragedy] for the whole world,” he said. “In public, people are still afraid and silent about the June Fourth Incident.”
In addition to the increased security, Guangcheng highlighted the arrests of four human rights lawyers in March. The arrests were made in preparation for the anniversary and included Pu Zhiqiang, a well-known lawyer and participant in the 1989 protest.
“[They] went to try to free those who were illegally jailed,” he said. “[The government] detained them and brutally tortured them. They were threatened with organ harvesting and being buried alive. Many went to support them, but they too were arrested, beaten, and deported.”
Guangcheng offered a message to the United States, which counts China as one of its primary economic partners.
“I hope you will look beyond China’s economic sphere. I hope you will support ordinary Chinese citizens,” he said. “A corrupt regime is a threat to our very human culture, our human civilization, and our human values. We must act now. The whole world must stand firm. If we speak loudly and clearly, a free China, a democratic China, will come soon.
