At 4pm on June 3, 2009, the Wei Jingsheng Foundation and 20 human rights groups and non-governmental organizations held a press conference inside the US Capitol, with the title of "Fighting for Freedom and Democracy". Its purpose was to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the June 4 massacre in Beijing, to make some conclusions, to reflect on the past, and to learn a lesson.
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Commentary at the event:
US Representative Dana Rohrabacher: We Should Not Put Economic Interests Above Human Rights
California Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said at the press conference: "We are in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the June 4 massacre. This was a turning point of history. To the murderers of the Chinese Communist Party, this is a date of shame. They suppressed the democratic movement, which proves that they are evildoers and criminals. However, this criminal organization that massacred the people on TianAnMen Square still holds the government in Beijing.
Representative Rohrabacher thinks that the American government should learn the lesson to not put economic interest above human rights. He pointed out that the administration of the older George Bush did not publicize any statement about the TianAnMen massacre by the Chinese Communist regime, which made the Communists think that the USA only cares about economic interest. If it were President Reagan, he would send a message like this: if you butcher the people, the United States will cut off all economic relations and trade, technology exchange and financial investment, and not allow Chinese goods to be exported to the USA. Rohrabacher said: "To offer the Most Favored Nation status to the Chinese Communist regime that massacred its people is a criminal act. Now this vicious regime built by our investment is threatening the whole world."
Rohrabacher believes that if all the good people in the world united together, the tyrants in this world will fall eventually. "One day the iron fist regime of the Communist Party will collapse and the Chinese people shall have their freedom."
Wei Jingsheng: Paying More Attention to the Present China, the Communist Party Will Not Last Long
The chairman of the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition, Mr. Wei Jingsheng, thinks that when the Western governments were irresponsible, the Chinese people paid a great price. The compromising and modest attitude of the Western government resulted in a huge obstruction to the struggle of the people under tyranny. When the Western governments are helping the Chinese autocratic regime, they are really planting the seeds of hate with the Chinese People.
He said, one of the important lessons that the Chinese people concluded from the failure of the 1989 democracy movement is that at that time the people put their hope on the reformists of the Communist Party, yet the end went to the opposite side. Ultimately the democracy movement was suppressed with the sacrifice of thousands of people's lives.
Wei Jingsheng said that as for the Chinese, they care about the current situation more. The democracy movement inside China has shifted from the students and intellectuals to average people. The rights defending movement is vigorous. To defend their own rights, the Chinese people continue their struggle with the regime, which in many areas has escalated into an opposition. Many people who were wrongfully treated could not get their cases corrected, so they ended with violent resistance. This kind of resistance has grown stronger and stronger, which illustrates that the Chinese people cannot tolerate anymore, and cannot wait any longer. He said that, from the situation inside China, you could tell that the Communist Party will not last much longer.
To Finish the Autocratic Regime of the Chinese Communists and to Realize Freedom and Democracy
The head of the Uyghur World Congress, Rebiya Kadeer, said that in the past 60 years, we all suffered huge pain; we must continue our struggle until all the Chinese gain freedom, freedom of speech and freedom of worship, and are not worried about being persecuted again.
The president of the US Tibetan Dhokham Chushi Gangdruk, Mr. Cheden Angtsang, called for the international society's help to prevent the Chinese Communist Party's war against Tibetans, including to help protect Tibetan culture and to prevent the destruction of the Tibetan's nature.
The chair of the Party for Freedom & Democracy in China, US charter, Zheng KeXue said: one lesson we learned from June 4 is that many explanations are simply to take away of the guilt of the Communist Party and to release the Communist Party from its responsibilities. I dismiss these excuses. The basic reality in the past 60 years is that the Chinese Communist Party that stole the power has completely taken away the basic rights of the people. The Communist Party uses lies to confuse people, uses violence to threaten people. They enslaved the Chinese for 60 years, dragged people into the faction fights, and kidnapped people's minds and spirits. Zheng said that people are not awakening even to this day and we must encourage the people who could tell the truth.
The chair of the Party for Freedom and Democracy in China, Mr. Ni Yuxian, thinks that one basic need of the era is to finish the one-party dictatorship of the Communist Party, and to return the rights back to the people, which is the most important thing. Ni said that the autocracy of the Communist Party would not reform by itself because reform means the opening of free speech and the realization of free association. Should we have the free speech, then all the killings and criminal acts of the Communists will be exposed, and this regime cannot afford to carry such a heavy historic burden. The Communist party exploited a huge wealth from the Chinese people, so to put hope to the Communist regime is an unrealistic illusion.
The former Research Scientist at National Institute of Health, Mr. Pang YuBin, appealed to all freedom seekers to quit the Chinese Communist Party, to welcome a world without Communism.
The chairman of the Pacific-Asian Human Rights Foundation, William Mei, talked about incidents happening in China this year. From the WengAn Incident to BaDong's young woman, people are suffering because of a lack of democracy and freedom. He encouraged everyone to fight for freedom, for human rights, for the country, for people not suffering any longer.
The Candidate for the 46th District of the Virginia House of Delegates, Dr. Sasha Gong, encouraged those overseas who push for democracy and freedom in China to remember what had happened for a long time, until one day when they help China to realize democracy.
Ciping HUANG of the Wei Jingsheng Foundation announced and distributed a video about June 4: "1989 - History Written in Blood", in an effort to tell about the massacre, to record a part of history, to let the young Chinese learn what had happened in the past, so we could all learn this lesson soaked with blood. Refuse to forget, reject the lies, fight against subjugation, and resist brutal tyranny. Wei Jingsheng said: "This is the historical testimony that we submit to the Chinese people."
