TLHRC Co-Chairs Commemorate 26th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre

Today we commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. On June 3 and 4, 1989, peaceful pro-democracy protests led by students, workers, and others in Beijing's Tiananmen Square were violently crushed by Chinese government forces. Hundreds were killed as the military opened fire on the peaceful protesters and bystanders, and thousands more were arrested for their involvement in the protests. Twenty-six years later, China denies the killings, censors all information and expressions about the massacre, and continues to repress citizens who exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of speech, expression, and assembly.

As we remember these tragic events, we express our condolences to the families of those who were massacred by the Chinese government. We stand in solidarity with those who have been imprisoned, disappeared, tortured, mistreated, or forced into exile then and now for expressing their political views, and renew our commitment to speak out on their behalf. We urge the Chinese government to end its repression of peaceful political dissent and uphold the fundamental and universal human rights of all of its citizens.