On behalf of Initiatives for China and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, we wish to invite you to attend this year’s commemoration of the 27th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 4, 1989.
Exploring the Contested History of the Tiananmen Square Massacre
Live and via WebEx
Open to the public (registration required)
Friday, June 3rd, 2016
Session 1: 10:30AM-12:00PM
Session 2: 1:00PM-3:00PM
Candle Vigil: 7:30PM
Conference Location:
Pew Charitable Trusts Research Facility
901 E Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
Candle Vigil Location:
Victims of Communism Memorial
(Intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and New Jersey Avenue, NW)
On June 4, 1989, millions of peaceful demonstrators from the Chinese Democracy Movement gathered in Tiananmen Square, where thousands were brutally cracked down. In every subsequent year, students, scholars, journalists, and politicians have joined with other human rights advocates to commemorate their sacrifice-except in China, where the official position of the Chinese Communist Party is that the events never happened. This position has been supported by Orwellian attempts to scrub any mention of these events from the textbooks used in Chinese classrooms to those parts of the internet Chinese subjects are permitted to access. This censorship has left the Tiananmen Massacre untouched and unresolved for the past 27 years.
In exploring this contested history, we hope to find a solution and a resolution to this important issue, which could represent a breakthrough in the democratization of China. We will also make plans to work together on submitting June 4th 1989 Tiananmen Movement’s relevant materials and documents to the UNESCO Registry of World Memory. This will require joint efforts to collect evidence and advocate on behalf of the truth about the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The event will be followed by a candlelight vigil at the Victims of Communism Memorial (located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and New Jersey Avenue NW), which will take place at dusk (7:30PM).
It is our hope that you will join us to discuss this most important and pressing issue and to work toward a meaningful and necessary resolution. If you are interested in attending, please register using the links below no later than May 30, 2016.
To attend the conference in person, Register Here.
To attend the conference via WebEx, Register Here. After your request has been approved, you will receive instructions for joining the meeting. Can’t register? Contact support.
To attend the candlelight vigil, Register Here.
Sincerely,
YANG Jianli
President of Initiatives for China
857-472-9039 yangjianli@initiativesforchina.org
Marion Smith
Executive Director of Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
202-629-9500