Tiananmen Square

Next Tuesday, 4 June, will mark the 24th anniversary of the violent suppression of demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in China which resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives.

This is not however an historical event, but an ongoing scenario. The Chinese government continues to harass those who participated in the protests, and refuses to fully account for those killed, detained, or missing.

Despite its self-proclaimed thousands of years of civilization, China cannot be considered a civilized country until it:

-- protects the universal human rights of all its citizens;

-- releases those who have been wrongfully detained, prosecuted, incarcerated, forcibly disappeared, or placed under house arrest; and

-- ends the ongoing harassment of human rights activists and their families.