On the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, the families of the victims organized an annual memorial in a cemetery in Beijing, even though the authorities left them with the 1989 repression against the pro-democracy demonstrators.
For the first time, the authorities prohibited members of the Tiananmen Mothers group from transporting mobile phones and cameras while they gathered in the Wan'an cemetery, breaking their contact with the outside world. But the elderly mothers still laid flowers for their relatives who were killed in June 4, 1989, Crackdown, learned Radio Free Asia.
“This year, the authorities are more sensitive to the June 4 incident than never before,” said Li, a former journalist for the people managed by the state who witnessed the 1989 incident. Like other sources of this article, he asked for anonymity for security reasons.
“The commemorative service of Tiananmen mothers is the most fundamental expression of humanity, but it is considered a political act,” added Li.
Another source confirmed to the FRG that the memorial took place on Wednesday under heavy surveillance. A group of family members visit the cemetery each year, despite the ban on public commemoration by June 4 China.
“Several elderly mothers have entered the cemetery in silence, holding white chrysanthemums in their hands, and have laid flowers in front of the graves of their loved ones,” said the source, which observed the cemetery scene.
“There were plain clothes police patrolling the door and the surrounding area, and parking was prohibited by the road,” said the source.
On the evening of June 3, the agents of the National Security Office warned the participants against phones or cameras, demanding “civilized mourning”, added the source.
RFA could not reach representatives of Tiananmen mothers on Wednesday and try to contact their loved ones, human rights lawyers and researchers who follow the group also gave no response. RFA could not reach the office of the Public Security Office in Beijing to ask for comments either.
On May 31, Tiananmen mothers published an open letter signed by 108 close to victims. In this document, they reiterated their long -standing requests from the Communist Party in power: investigate the incident without bias, make known the incident files with the names of the victims and compensate their families, and pursue officials.
“For 36 years, we have repeatedly looked for dialogue with the authorities, but we have not been monitored and removed,” said Zhang Xianling, 88, one of the group's founding members, in a recent video, his voice breaking with emotion while she was talking.
Zhang's son Wang Nan was shot dead at the intersection of Nanchang Street in Beijing and Chang'an avenue in the early hours of June 4, 1989. He was 19 years old at the time.
Estimates in the number of deaths in the Tiananmen massacre varied from a few hundred to several thousand. In 2009, Tiananmen mothers published a detailed card showing where some victims died. The Chinese government, however, has never made public the actual number of those who died or were injured.
Generalized digital censorship
In the days preceding and on the anniversary of June 4, the Chinese authorities imposed strict digital censorship measures.
In early June, Tencent “Golden Spatula Wars” mobile game users noted that their WeChat profile photos were uniformly changed in green penguins, with the possibility of modifying the deactivated avatars.
“Penguins were originally a symbol of entertainment, but now they have become a censorship mask,” wrote a user on X.
On June 4, all of WeChat users, as well as users of other Tencent platforms, found that they could not modify their profile images. Tencent attributed the restrictions to “purify the environment online during the period of entrance exam to college”, but Internet users wondered if it represented another form of political censorship.
Each year around the birthday, Chinese social media platforms block keywords such as “square”, “tank” and “8964”. “June 4” is also a prohibited online research term, while all publications on social networks related to the incident are immediately deleted, with accounts that publish such content faced with suspension.
The human rights lawyer, PU Zhiqiang, was ordered by Chinese police to remove his commemorative post on X. Meanwhile, the Embassies of Germany, Great Britain, Canada and other countries in China have published commemorative messages on Weibo, triggering a large number of suppressions of comments.
The British Embassy has downloaded photos and videos of cartoons of “Tank Man” – the emblematic image of a lonely protester facing tanks at Tiananmen Square.
Restrictions in Hong Kong
Tightened security was imposed on the Bay of Causeway in Hong Kong and Victoria Park. These were formerly veil sites and annual commemorative monuments, but the rallies have stopped since Beijing tightened its grip on the formerly semi-autonomous territory.
Armored vehicles and a large number of security staff were deployed on both sites on Wednesday morning, two sources said.
At noon, several people suspected of marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre were swept away, including an elderly woman and two girls from the college with white flowers, sources said. Another man who was sitting silently in Victoria Park with a closed eyes and holding a white electronic candle was also taken by police, they added.
Hong Kong police also inspected several companies on the theme of the “yellow economic circle”. The yellow color has been associated with the democratic cause since the 2014 umbrella mass protest movement in the city. Pro-government and pro-political views are described as “blue”.
The consulates of several Hong Kong countries, including Great Britain and Canada, have published photos of a glow of candles and messages so as not to forget the incident of June 4.
The Hong Kong American Consulate also displayed the message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio marking the birthday.
“Today, we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed while they were trying to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to undergo persecution when they seek responsibility and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,” said Rubio.
“The CCP is actively trying to censor the facts, but the world will never forget,” said Rubio, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
Commemorations in Taiwan
Like Rubio, the Taiwanese president Lai Ching-Te, in articles on X and Facebook, praised the courage of the Chinese students who participated in the pro-democracy demonstrations of 1989, affirming that “their courage and their sense of responsibility have left a deep testimony of the pursuit by humanity of the ideals”. He added that the June 4 incident should never be forgotten.
“Authoritarian regimes erase history; democracies have a duty to preserve it,” said Lai.
“Today, we remember those who walked for freedom on Tiananmen square. Taiwan is firm with partners sharing the same ideas on the defense of democracy and human rights to ensure a free society for future generations,” he wrote on X.
In Taiwan, around 3,000 people gathered in front of the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on Wednesday evening to cry the victims of the Tiananmen massacre.
The Taiwan's continental council, which oversees transfer problems, condemned the threats to the bomb that IT and other ministries had received to scare participants during the June 4 commemoration event.
Published by Tenzin Pema and Mat Pennington.