US lawmakers ask China to allow public discussion of Tiananmen protests

WASHINGTON: Ahead of the 27th anniversary of Tiananmen crackdown, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift restrictions on public discussion of the protests and release individuals detained for commemorating the event.

"In addition to allowing uncensored, public discussion of the Tiananmen protests and the government's response, we ask that you end efforts to retaliate against those who participated in the protests, particularly the former student leaders and those, such as the Tiananmen Mothers group, seeking information about family members who died or disappeared on or after June 3-4, 1989," the lawmakers said.

The letter was signed by Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) Chairman, Representative Chris Smith, CECC Cochair, Senator Marco Rubio and CECC Commissioners Senator Tom Cotton, Senator Ben Sasse, Representative Timothy Walz, Representative Randy Hultgren and Representative Marcy Kaptur.

CECC was created by Congress in 2000 to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China, and to submit an annual report to the President and the Congress.

In the letter, the lawmakers said they have grave concerns about those who remain imprisoned or detained in connection with their attempts to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests.

"We urge their immediate and unconditional release," the lawmakers said in the letter dated June 2. The spirit of the 1989 protests, the sacrifices made by the protestors, and their peaceful demands for reform and universally recognized freedoms continue to inspire international admiration and respect," the letter said.

"We solemnly commemorate the Tiananmen massacre each year because of the lives lost and persons permanently injured, because of the profound impact the event has had on US-China relations, because so many former student leaders have made important and lasting contributions to global understanding of China, and because the Chinese people themselves are unable to mark this event," the lawmakers wrote.