Tiananmen Students Continue Fight

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

A remembrance was held on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill to honor the students that lost their lives during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre 20 years ago. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ.) spoke with former Chinese student leaders about the importance of remembering the fallen students and the need to continue to fight for Democracy in China.

“The ugly spirit of the Tiananmen Square Massacre continues today unabated in China with brutality and efficiency that only a Nazi could love,” Smith said, adding the Obama administration should not seek to improve the world economy while ignoring the country’s human rights violations.

Dr. Yang Jianli, a Tiananmen survivor and former political prisoner, said that “it is truth that tyrannies fear most; it is truth that build stable societies.” He called for the release of political prisoners and ending the blacklisting of China citizens.

The Tiananmen Square massacre resulted from political protests by college students who demanded government reform. The student’s protest was planned for 40 days, but ended after the 20th day. The government used force to stop the protest when the students erected a statue of the Goddess of Liberty. The statue was destroyed and an estimated 2,000 students were killed by the Chinese military.