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'The world will not forget': Tiananmen Square massacre victims remembered on 36th anniversary as China censors history
The world marked 36 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre, with leaders from the US and Taiwan vowing never to forget the brutal crackdown. China continues to censor the 1989 events, in which hundreds or possibly thousands were killed by the military. read more
Hundreds of thousands of people fill Peking's central Tiananmen Square, May 17, 1989 in front of the Monument to People's Heroes and Mao's mausoleum in the biggest popular upheaval in China since the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's. File Image/Reuters
The Tiananmen Square massacre will never be forgotten, the US secretary of state and Taiwan's president said on its 36th anniversary .
China still tries to erase the 1989 crackdown from public memory. There's no official death toll, but activists say hundreds, possibly thousands, were killed by the Chinese army near Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
'Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,' said Marco Rubio. 'The [Chinese Communist party] actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget.'
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Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, while emphasising on e bravery of the protesters said 'Authoritarian governments often choose to silence and forget history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who gave their lives – and their dreams – to the idea of human rights,' Lai said.
The Tiananmen Square massacre refers to the violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing, China, on June 3–4, 1989.
Following weeks of peaceful protests led by students and supported by workers and intellectuals, the Chinese government declared martial law and deployed the military to forcibly clear the square.
Troops and tanks opened fire on unarmed civilians, resulting in a significant number of deaths.
The exact death toll remains uncertain. Official Chinese sources reported around 200–300 fatalities, while other estimates suggest that thousands may have died during the crackdown.
The Chinese government has never released a full accounting of the events and continues to censor discussions about the massacre.
Despite efforts to suppress information, the Tiananmen Square massacre remains a symbol of the struggle for democratic reform and human rights in China. Iconic images, such as the lone protester standing in front of a line of tanks, have become emblematic of peaceful resistance against oppression.
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