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Epoch Times
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Remembering Tiananmen Massacre, Activists Look to the Day of CCP's Fall
WASHINGTON—Activists held a memorial vigil Wednesday evening to pay tribute to pro-democracy protesters who died at China's The day, which saw Chinese authorities use tanks and guns to kill The occasion serves as a chance to commemorate those killed in the 'horrific' event, said Eric Patterson, president and chief executive officer of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, who hosted the vigil. But more than that, he saw a reason for hope. 'We recall that in Romania, and Hungary, and Poland, and many other countries, the lies and lawlessness of communism did fall by the wayside,' he said. What happened to these communist regimes makes him hopeful that 'there will be a new day in China at some point in the future.' Rushan Abbas, executive director of the Washington-based advocacy group Campaign for Uyghurs, said that the 1989 incident showed what the Chinese 'regime was capable of doing.' 'Today, depression flows through black cells in Tibet, the streets of Hong Kong, and the concentration camps in Xinjiang,' Abbas said at the vigil. Related Stories 6/4/2025 6/3/2025 'China's long black arm even reaches us here in the land of the free and the home of the brave through threats and transnational repression that crosses borders. 'The CCP's methods change, the targets shift, but the goal stays the same: obedience without truth, silence without peace, prosecution without accountability,' she added. 'While the CCP quietly works to replace the freedom and democracy of this authoritarian rule, the world has been trained to treat its abuses as background noise.' In retaliation against Abbas's advocacy on Beijing's mistreatment of Uyghurs, Chinese authorities 'Let's honor those who lost [their lives] with a vision for a better world, one where there is accountability for the tragedy in Tiananmen Square, and the justice for Uyghurs, Tibetans, Chinese dissidents, Hongkongers, Campaign for Uyghurs founder Rushan Abbas speaks during an event commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre that happened in China on June 4, 1989, at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington on June 4, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), marking the day, introduced a bill to use sanctions and legal tools to address the Chinese regime's censorship and to protect U.S. citizens and legal residents from Chinese agents' intimidation. 'Outlive the CCP' Rowena He, a historian and author of the book 'Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China,' was a student in China's southeastern city of Guangzhou at the time of the massacre. She returned to campus the next day wearing a black armband in mourning, she shared, and was told by the teacher that if she didn't take it off, 'no one will protect you.' Hong Kong held a large-scale vigil to commemorate the anniversary every year Remembering what happened in 1989 matters to more than the victims and participants in the protests, she told The Epoch Times. Rowena He, senior research fellow at Civitas Institute, speaks during an event commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre that happened in China on June 4, 1989, at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington on June 4, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times 'The truth is still not revealed, and justice is not done,' she said. The cover-up the regime deployed around the Tiananmen Square incident happened again during the COVID-19 pandemic, when medical doctors wanted to warn about the virus's danger, she noted in her speech. It 'became the violation of human rights of every single human being on Earth,' she said. 'So don't tell me that human rights and Tiananmen [are] about them, about China. It's about here. It's about us. It's about now.' Piero Tozzi, staff director of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said the massacre was a lesson of what the world could have done. 'The nature of the regime revealed itself 36 years ago—that's the same regime that is in power today,' Tozzi told The Epoch Times. 'The difference, though, is that they're far more powerful, economically, militarily.' In 2000, Congress passed legislation to give China permanent most-favored-nation status, now known as permanent normal trade relations, which paved the way for China's accession to the World Trade Organization. The status opened the U.S. market to Chinese products with trade advantages, including reduced tariffs. 'There was a chance to really break the regime, but we bailed them out,' Tozzi said. And now, 'that monster has grown.' Piero Tozzi, staff director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, at an event commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre that happened in China on June 4, 1989, at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington on June 4, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times 'Right now, it is an existential threat, not just to the United States but to the world.' Frances Hui, who was granted U.S asylum in September 2021, said that she was once 'baked into the national pride of China' before finding out about the massacre when she was 10 years old. The 1989 incident opened her eyes, Hui told The Epoch Times. 'I realized, wow, like in China, actually that many years ago, people longed for a democratic China, and just like us, like Hongkongers, we're fighting for it, all this time,' she said. Hui is now the advocacy coordinator for the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation. Hongkongers had tried to remember through the vigil, and now that it's banned, the rest of those in the free world need to 'carry on that responsibility, to keep remembering this day,' she said. 'Because as long as we remember it, one day justice will come, although it's obviously a delayed justice.' David Yu, board chairman of the June 4th Massacre Memorial Association, noted that although the Chinese regime may seem powerful, it currently faces many internal problems that are 'irreconcilable.' David Yu, executive director of the June 4th Massacre Memorial Association, speaks during an event commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre that happened in China on June 4, 1989, at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington on June 4, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times 'They are being suppressed, and you don't see them,' he told The Epoch Times. It's only a question of time before these issues explode, he said, 'and the day when they explode isn't that far away.' Yu ended his speech by expressing conviction about the CCP's eventual collapse, and Hui echoed him, expressing belief that she will 'outlive the CCP.' 'There's no forever for any governance, and I believe that authoritarians will only lead to one end, which is the end of them,' Hui said. 'So we need to prepare for it.'
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
"Unbroken" launch reinforces urgency of Uyghur human rights crisis
Rushan Abbas presenting her book to Markus Rinderspacher, vice-president of the Bavarian State Parliament (Image credit: X/Rushan Abbas) Uyghur human rights activist Rushan Abbas officially launched her powerful memoir "Unbroken": One Uyghur's Fight for Freedom at the European Uyghur Summit, held in Munich. The launch was marked by a heartfelt reading and powerful statements of solidarity from global dignitaries and advocates. The memoir, authored by Abbas--who serves as the Executive Committee Chair of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU)--chronicles her personal journey, the ongoing atrocities against the Uyghur people, and her tireless fight for justice and freedom. — RushanAbbas (@RushanAbbas) In a post on X, Abbas wrote, "Today marked the opening of the East Turkistan/Uyghur National Summit, organised by the @UyghurCongress and co-hosted by @CUyghurs alongside other allied organisations." She also shared a personal milestone from the summit: the presentation of her memoir to Markus Rinderspacher, vice-president of the Bavarian State Parliament. "We are deeply grateful for his support of the Uyghur cause and his commitment to human rights," Abbas added. One of the event's most poignant moments came as Abbas read from the memoir's final chapter, A Letter to the Uyghur Diaspora--a heartfelt message of resilience, unity, and hope. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 지금 차면 가장예쁜 기부팔찌 유니세프 지금 기부하기 Undo The summit was attended by a distinguished roster of supporters and partners, including David Baxendale of Oneworld Publications, Niclas Butz, Ambassador to the Health Innovation Exchange, and Dolkun Isa, former President of the World Uyghur Congress. Each voiced strong support for Abbas's work and reaffirmed the global importance of advocating for the Uyghur cause. Campaign for Uyghurs, a leading NGO dedicated to promoting human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of East Turkistan and ending the Uyghur genocide, shared highlights of the launch on X. "We were deeply honoured to mark the European launch of Unbroken at the Uyghur Summit in Munich, surrounded by members of the Uyghur diaspora from across the world, trusted friends, advocates, and international delegates," the organisation posted. The European launch of Unbroken underscores a growing international awareness of the Uyghur struggle and reflects a broadening coalition of allies committed to justice, human dignity, and the defence of basic freedoms. The Uyghur population in China's Xinjiang region has faced severe and systematic human rights violations under the Chinese government. Since 2017, over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been arbitrarily detained in so-called "re-education" camps, where reports of indoctrination, torture, and abuse have emerged. Authorities have enforced mass surveillance, restricted religious and cultural practices, and separated children from families. Evidence also links Xinjiang to forced labour programs, with Uyghurs coerced into working under oppressive conditions. Furthermore, China's birth prevention policies targeting Uyghur women have raised serious concerns about demographic suppression. International organisations and several governments have labelled these acts as crimes against humanity, with growing calls for accountability and global action to end the repression and protect Uyghur rights.
