Jun 4 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE), co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, released the following statement on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, which took place on June 4, 1989: 

“Thirty years ago, after the Chinese government’s violent crackdown against students peacefully protesting in Tiananmen Square, a man stood in the path of Chinese tanks as troops were departing the square. While we still don’t know the identity of the man, his act remains an important reminder that all people around the world yearn for a basic level of human freedom and dignity. Societies are stronger when they respect the universal rights we all share.

“As co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, we honor and remember the Chinese students who raised their voices to call for democracy and freedom. An unknown number of people were killed, wounded, or imprisoned – and never saw justice.

“On the anniversary of the crackdown, we call upon the Chinese government to publicly account for the victims and to respect the rights of China’s citizens to call for political reforms. Just as Americans strive to learn from moments in our own history when we failed to live up to our ideals, so too should the world learn from the protests in Tiananmen Square thirty years ago.” 

###