June 6 marks 4 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre, in which a student movement for democratization was suppressed by force in Beijing, the capital of China, resulting in many casualties.
As power continues to be concentrated in President Xi Jinping, information control has been strengthened and criticism of the Communist Party and the government has been thoroughly suppressed.
Thirty-four years ago, on June 34, 1989, the Tiananmen Square massacre suppressed students and civilians who had gathered in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square by firing and suppressing them, resulting in many casualties.
The Chinese Communist Party and the government have concluded that the incident was a "disturbance" and have not changed their position that the response at the time was correct, and it is taboo to talk about the incident publicly as information control is tightened year by year.
While many tourists visited Tiananmen Square and its surroundings on the morning of the 6th, a large number of police officers were stationed and strict security measures were in place to guard against movements to commemorate the victims.
As President Xi Jinping enters his unprecedented third term and power is increasingly concentrated, calls for an investigation into the truth of the incident and accountability have been suppressed, and criticism of the Communist Party and the government has been thoroughly suppressed.
Tiananmen Mothers, a group of bereaved families, released the letter
The bereaved families who lost their families in the Tiananmen Square massacre have formed a group called "Tiananmen Mothers" and have published letters to the Chinese government and leaders to demand truth and apology.
Ahead of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 6, 4 bereaved family members jointly published a letter on the Internet.
The letter expresses the feelings of the bereaved families who are still suffering, saying, "Thirty-four years have passed, but the pain of suddenly losing a family member overnight will cling to the bottom of my heart like a nightmare forever."
On top of that, he worries that the incident will fade away, saying, "The government is trying to control the incident and erase the memory of the cruel facts from people's minds."
"There is no hope in sight, but we will not give up, and we look forward to the government apologizing to all the bereaved families and giving tribute to the people about the tragedy of that time, for the sake of human dignity and justice for the victims," he said.
However, this letter is restricted from being viewed in China, where information control is strict, and many people cannot see it.
Thirty-four years have passed since the incident, and the bereaved families are aging and people are dying one after another, and the letter reveals that seven people have died due to the new coronavirus in the past year.
Bereaved families: "We cannot accept a government that has been silent for 34 years"
Yu Weijie, 1, one of the core members of "Tiananmen Mother" who lost her husband, said, "At this time of year, the scene of the time when my beloved family was killed comes to my mind, and my feelings always sink.
In light of the fact that information control is being strengthened year by year in China, bereaved families are aging and people are dying one after another, Yu said, "The government has made the Tiananmen Square incident taboo, so if the generation of parents who know about the incident does not talk about it, the young people will not know. I was worried that the incident would fade away.
Regarding the suspension of large-scale rallies in Hong Kong to mourn the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre and to appeal for democracy in China for three years, he said, "The memorial rally was a window for Chinese people to understand the Tiananmen Square massacre, but it was banned by the government. The approach of the Hong Kong government is very unfortunate, and the Tiananmen Square incident must never be forgotten and condemned."
On the other hand, regarding the ongoing support movement overseas, Yu said, "I am grateful that people around the world, including Japan, commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre every year at this time."
Chinese Foreign Ministry: "The Chinese government has come to a clear conclusion"
Ahead of the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning emphasized the need to revise the assessment of the incident, stating at a press conference on March 2 that "the Chinese government has long come to a clear conclusion about the political turmoil that occurred at the end of the 1980s."
He then objected to activities to commemorate the incidents around the world, saying, "Any attempt to smear China and interfere in China's internal affairs under the pretext of the incident will not go as planned."