The US on Friday urged China to free political activists who have been imprisoned since the deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square exactly 21 years ago.
“We join others in the international community to urge China to release all those still serving sentences for participating in peaceful protests at that time and since,” US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.
“We ask the Chinese government to provide the fullest possible public accounting of those killed, detained or missing and to cease harassment of those who participated in the demonstrations and the families of the victims,” he said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“We also encourage China to protect the universal human rights of all its citizens, including those who peacefully dissent,” Crowley said.
In Beijing, the police presence on Friday was low-key, unlike for the 20th anniversary of the crackdown last year, when foreign reporters were banned from the square and nervous authorities blanketed the area with security.
In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of residents marked the anniversary with a candle-lit vigil, as agitation against Beijing intensifies in the former British colony.
Exiled student leaders and Hong Kong citizens challenged Beijing’s silence on the anniversary of the massacre with tributes outside China proper — and on the Internet.
Tens of thousands of people held aloft white candles at a large park in Hong Kong. Democracy activists laid a wreath at a makeshift monument dedicated to the Tiananmen victims, bowing three times in line with traditional Chinese mourning customs.
“Hong Kong people have the right to voice their opinion and this is much better than the mainland, where people are not allowed to say anything. I hope Beijing will at least see that Hong Kong people want to right the wrong,” said 62-year-old businessman Lee Sum, one of the estimated 113,000 people that police said attended.
“I came here today in the hope that the next generation will be aware of this issue. We will do anything to help, even though we are not optimistic that Beijing will take heed,” said 27-year-old Fay Liu, who works for a nongovernmental organization.
In Washington, the Obama administration urged China to provide full disclosure of events surrounding Tiananmen and to protect the rights of citizens expressing dissent.
In China, the government enforced its long-standing censorship of Tiananmen. On Friday in Beijing, the square was open but tightly guarded as tourists attended the early morning flag-raising ceremony and others flew kites above the massive space.
The Web service Foursquare — which lets users alert their friends to their locations through their mobile phones — was blocked after many users had “checked in” from Tiananmen Square to mark the anniversary.
Late on Thursday, police officers blocked reporters from watching activist Ding Zilin (丁子霖) mourn her son at the spot in western Beijing where he was killed during the crackdown.
A group of strangers surrounded the small candlelight vigil, apparently trying to block TV journalists from shooting.
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