As You Remain Silent on the June Fourth Issue, Your Morals
and Conscience are Draining Away from You

--An Open Letter to the 12th National People’s Congress
and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference

From the Tiananmen Mothers

February 28, 2014

[English translation by Human Rights in China]

Respected Deputies of the National People’s Congress:

Respected Members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference:

The annual session of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference is, once again, about to begin. It just so happens that this year is the 25th anniversary of the June Fourth massacre. We, the Tiananmen Mothers, as relatives of the victims of the June Fourth tragedy, will gather up our strength to wait and see what the NPC deputies and CPPCC members of this session will accomplish—whether they can make up for the mistakes of the past and decisively raise the June Fourth issue for discussion in the meetings. Whether a conclusion can be reached is not important. A discussion among many would be progress.

In the past 24 years, we, the Tiananmen Mothers, have braved great hardships in our arduous quest, but we are not discouraged and have not given up. We have already found 202 June Fourth victims [who were killed or wounded]. Yet with the passage of time, 35 fellow sufferers in our group have themselves passed away. Up to the end, they still could not forget or let go of their departed loved ones who were harmed.

The departed are forever gone, the living persevere!

Recently, we, the Tiananmen Mothers, fanned out on three trips to visit and interview fellow sufferers, particularly those far away. The interviewers came back deeply touched. One of the interviewed individuals wrote these heartfelt words:

“These last twenty-five years, missing and longing for my son every day could not bring him back. But at the very least, we should be given the truth, the facts, and a clear admission of wrongdoing! Yet up until now, there hasn’t been any hope of that. Could it be that we are forced to leave this world in despair? This despair has already tormented us for twenty-five years! There is only one truth. In such a big Beijing, thousands upon thousands of people saw it all with their own eyes! People all over the world also understood everything! After twenty-five years, those who still are not willing to and don’t dare admit the truth are the most cowardly and most foolish!”

Thousands upon thousands of words are said in this sentence: “After twenty-five years, at the very least, we should be given the truth, the facts, and a clear admission of wrongdoing!” Here, we specifically quote these words so that the NPC deputies and the CPPCC members can hear clearly what this June fourth victim’s family member has to say!

During last year’s Two Congresses, we raised this question regarding how to resolve the June Fourth issue: “This is our wish—may it not turn into despair again.” Later on, during the June Fourth period, after repeated consideration, we put forth our response this way: “Hope is fading and despair is drawing near.” And today? We still don’t see any hope. Those who still are not willing to and don’t dare admit the truth are truly the most cowardly and most foolish!

Twenty years ago, Jiang Zemin did not talk about June Fourth, as if June Fourth did not happen; ten years ago, Hu Jintao did not talk about June Fourth, also as if June Fourth did not happen; today, the new leaders also do not talk about June Fourth, as if June Fourth has moved farther and farther away, whose shadow can no longer be seen.

These long twenty-five years, as you remain silent on the June Fourth issue, what is draining away from you? Your morals, your conscience, and the legitimacy of your rule.

In this world, if someone says you have no morals, no conscience, you can say they are talking nonsense. If two people say the same, you can still say it’s not true. If three or four people say the same, your heart starts to beat faster. If many people say the same, or if they don’t even bother saying anything, but rush out of the country like tides, it shows that no one believes you, and you are left with cowardice and foolishness. You say our economy has grown to become the second largest in the world, and in a few more years, the largest, but you are still left with only cowardice and foolishness.

And we? Even though we have lost a lot, a lot in this quarter century—we have lost loved ones, freedom, happiness, and the life and rights of normal people—we have preserved our morality, our conscience, the things that are most precious in life.

Truth, compensation, accountability—these three things are our consistent appeal. They, together with our morality and conscience, will be maintained until the day they are realized.

On earth, whether you believe it or not, you must always follow morality and conscience. You sing against the melody, you walk backwards. How much longer can you sing? How much farther can you walk? This is still a question.

Respected deputies of the National People’s Congress, respected members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and respected leaders of our country, please think about this, and think again!

Signed:
尤维洁 You Weijie
郭丽英 Guo Liying
张彦秋 Zhang Yanqiu
吴丽虹 Wu Lihong
尹敏 Yin Min
郝义传 Hao Yichuan
祝枝弟 Zhu Zhidi
叶向荣 Ye Xiangrong
徐珏 Xu Jue
丁子霖 Ding Zilin
蒋培坤 Jiang Peikun
张先玲 Zhang Xianling
王范地 Wang Fandi
周淑庄 Zhou Shuzhuang
李雪文 Li Xuewen
赵廷杰 Zhao Tingjie
钱普泰 Qian Putai
吴定富 Wu Dingfu
宋秀玲 Song Xiuling
孙承康Sun Chengkang
于清 Yu Qing
孙宁黄 Sun Ninghuang
金平 Jin Ping
孟淑英 Meng Shuying
袁淑敏 Yuan Shumin
王广明 Wang Guangming
刘梅花 Liu Meihua
谢京花 Xie Jinghua
马雪琴 Ma Xueqin
邝瑞荣 Kuang Ruirong
张树森 Zhang Shusen
杨大榕 Yang Darong
贺田凤 He Tianfeng
刘秀臣 Liu Xiuchen
沈桂芳 Shen Guifang
谢京荣 Xie Jingrong
金贞玉 Jin Zhenyu
要福荣 Yao Furong
孟淑珍 Meng Shuzhen
田淑玲 Tian Shuling
邵秋风 Shao Qiufeng
王桂荣 Wang Guirong
谭汉凤 Tan Hanfeng
孙恒尧 Sun Hengyao
王文华 Wang Wenhua
陈梅 Chen Mei
周燕 Zhou Yan
李桂英 Li Guiying
徐宝艳 Xu Baoyan
狄孟奇 Di Mengqi
王连 Wang Lian
管卫东 Guan Weidong
高婕 Gao Jie
刘淑琴 Liu Shuqin
王双兰 Wang Shuanglan
孙珊萍 Sun Shanping
张振霞 Zhang Zhenxie
刘天媛 Liu Tianyuan
黄定英 Huang Dingying
熊辉 Xiong Hui
张彩凤 Zhang Caifeng
何瑞田 He Ruitian
任金宝 Ren Jinbao
田维炎 Tian Weiyan
杨志玉 Yang Zhiyu
李显远 Li Xianyuan
王玉芹 Wang Yuqin
韩淑香 Han Shuxiang
曹长先 Cao Changxian
方政 Fang Zheng
齐志勇 Qi Zhiyong
冯友祥 Feng Youxiang
何兴才 He Yingcai
刘仁安 Liu Ren’an
齐国香 Qi Guoxiang
韩国刚 Han Guogang
石峰 Shi Feng
庞梅清 Pang Meiqing
黄宁 Huang Ning
王伯冬 Wang Bodong
张志强 Zhang Zhiqiang
赵金锁 Zhao Jinsuo
孔维真 Kong Weizhen
刘保东 Liu Baodong
陆玉宝 Lu Yubao
陆马生 Lu Masheng
齐志英 Qi Zhiying
方桂珍 Fang Guizhen
雷勇 Lei Yong
肖书兰 Xiao Shulan
葛桂荣 Ge Guirong
郑秀村 Zheng Xiucun
王惠蓉 Wang Huirong
邢承礼 Xing Chengli
桂德兰 Gui Delan
王运启 Wang Yunqi
黄雪芬 Huang Xuefen
郭达显 Guo Daxian
王琳 Wang Lin
刘乾 Liu Qian
朱镜蓉 Zhu Jingrong
金亚喜 Jin Yaxi
周国林 Zhou Guolin
穆怀兰 Mu Huailan
王争强 Wang Zhengqiang
宁书平 Ning Shuping
曹云兰 Cao Yunlan
隋立松 Sui Lisong
林武云 Lin Wuyun
冯淑兰 Feng Shulan
付媛媛 Fu Yuanyuan
孙淑芳 Sun Shufang
李春山 Li Chunshan
蒋艳琴 Jiang Yanqin
何凤亭 He Fengting
谭淑琴 Tan Shuqin
奚永顺 Xi Yongshun
肖宗友 Xiao Zongyou
乔秀兰 Qiao Xiulan
陆燕京 Lu Yanjing
李浩泉 Li Haoquan
赖运迪 Lai Yundi
周小姣 Zhou Xiaojiao
周运姣 Zhou Yunjiao
陈永朝 Chen Yongzhao
陈永邦 Chen Yongbang
刘永亮 Liu Yongliang
张景利 Zhang Jingli
(128 total)

In accordance with suggestions by our fellow victims, we have decided to also include the names of our fellow signers from previous years who have since passed away, so as to honor their last wishes:

吴学汉 Wu Xuehan
苏冰娴 Su Bingxian
姚瑞生 Yao Ruisheng
杨世钰 Yang Shiyu
袁长录 Yuan Changlu
周淑珍 Zhou Shuzhen
王国先 Wang Guoxian
包玉田 Bao Yutian
林景培 Lin Jingpei
寇玉生 Kou Yusheng
孟金秀 Meng Jinxiu
张俊生 Zhang Junsheng
吴守琴 Wu Shouqin
周治刚 Zhou Zhigang
孙秀芝 Sun Xiuzhi
罗让 Luo Rang
严光汉 Yan Guanghan
李贞英 Li Zhenying
邝涤清 Kuang Diqing
段宏炳 Duan Hongbing
刘春林 Liu Chunlin
张耀祖 Zhang Yaozu
李淑娟 Li Shujuan
杨银山 Yang Yinshan
王培靖 Wang Peijing
袁可志 Yuan Kezhi
潘木治 Pan Muzhi
萧昌宜 Xiao Changyi
轧伟林 Zha Weilin
刘建兰 Liu Jianlan
索秀女 Suo Xiunü
杨子明 Yang Ziming
程淑珍 Cheng Shuzhen
杜东旭 Du Dongxu
张桂荣 Zhang Guirong
(35 total)