Press Release – For immediate release
4 June 2015
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress commemorates the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre that took place on June 3, 1989, in which thousands were killed in response to legitimate student demonstrations calling for political and economic reform. Although the Uyghur people were not directly involved with the protests, save some, clear parallels can be drawn between the treatment of civilians whose only desire is to peacefully and publically express their grievances.

What began as peaceful demonstrations in mid-April, 1989, in which thousands of pro-democracy protesters took up residence in the square, turned quickly into a full-scale military assault. Chinese troops reached the square at around 1:00am on the morning of June 4 and began firing indiscriminately on protesters, in an alleged effort to “restore order” in the capital.

Upper estimates put the number killed in the thousands, despite vigorous efforts by the state to curb public knowledge of the incident – an official death toll would never be released by the government. Upwards of 10,000 were also arrested throughout the protests in Beijing and in cities around the country. The Chinese government also refused to acknowledge the legality of the protests and firmly maintained that the actions by the students amounted to “counter-revolutionary riots”.

The Chinese government has also gone to great lengths to suppress any discussion of the events on the internet and in print. When the anniversary date nears each year, it is reported that nearly 100 internet search terms are censored by the government. Year-round censorship, however, remains, as most citizens are unable to find reliable information about the events.

Censorship today remains a significant issue in China, particularly in relation to news coming out of East Turkestan. Reliable information is incredibly difficult to come by and many major news outlets are only able to rely on Chinese reports, with obvious biases.

Indispensible in the fight for greater human rights protections in China will inevitably be our mutual recognition that we all face the same obstacles. We all suffer from a lack of democratic freedom enjoyed by much of the rest of the world. Without a voice, we remain agency-less, and by standing alone, we remain but a singular entity butting up against a monumental force. We must recognize that strength lies in cooperation and the recognition that although our differences may matter, our common humanity matters immeasurably more so.

With this anniversary, the World Uyghur Congress calls on all those in the fight for freedom and democracy to push for the inherent dignity that we all deserve as human beings.