At the beginning of the new year, Citizen Power Initiatives for China (CPIFC) officially initiated three activities to commemorate the 1989 Democracy Movement and the Tiananmen Massacre, inherit the heroic legacy, pass on the “flame” of struggle, and promote the 6·4 spirit, seek truth, hold those responsible accountable, and lay the foundation for transitional justice.
I. The “Tank Man” Statue
CPIFC has officially entrusted Thomas Marsh, an artist who made the world’s first memorial statue of the victims of Communism, to mold a statue of the Tiananmen Tank Man. This still-unidentified young Chinese man, who single-handedly blocked the path of a column of People’s Liberation Army’s tanks that were rolling down Chang’an Avenue near Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989. His heroic act has become a permanent symbol of the 1989 Democracy Movement, fully embodying the courage of defying brute forces and the spirit of peaceful protest. Over the past 30 years, Tiananmen Tank Man has inspired many countries and communities in the world to fight for freedom and human rights. They have created their own Tank Man moments and images in their respective struggles. People may have forgotten or even do not know the 1989 Democracy Movement and the June 4th Massacre, but everyone knows the Tank Man. Time magazine therefore named the Tank Man one of the most important figures of the 20th century.
However, the CCP’s censorship has caused collective amnesia among Chinese people. Many young people do not know the Tank Man and do not understand his heroic act.
In order to carry forward the spirit of the Tank Man and to commemorate him and the entire 6·4 generation he represented, we set up a statue for the Tank Man, fully affirming his historic value and allowing him to live on forever.
The design of the Tank Man statue has been completed. It is a sculpture composed of life-size bronze statues and two-dimensional tank images and is scheduled to be unveiled on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre.
CPIFC hopes to use various platforms to raise funds for the “Tank Man” statue project by means of crowdfunding, and at the same time, create a new opportunity to mobilize citizens by revisiting this historic event. In this way, more people will know the heroic act of the Tank Man.
II. Tiananmen Archive Project – 1989 Democracy Movement / Tiananmen Massacre
It’s been 30 years since the 1989 Democracy Movement and the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre took place, but so far, there has not been an archive that comprehensively and systematically collects and sorts out the relevant documents, materials and testimony evidence that meet the professional criteria for archive establishment and management. A number of victims and witnesses have passed away; many perpetrators have died, or their bad reputation has been rebuilt; and a lot of valuable documentary items have been lost. Therefore, CPIFC’s Archive Project of 1989 Democracy Movement and the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre aims to fill this gap, and professionally collect and archive historical documentary items. The primary purposes of this project include:
1. Create an online archive platform for the 1989 Democracy Movement and the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre;2. Collect and archive important historical documents and records about the 1989 Democracy Movement and the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre, and seek the truth of the June 4th Massacre, including accurate information on the victims and perpetrators;3. Nominate the documentary heritage to be inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW), including the audiovisual documents and records of the Tank Man;4. Prepare evidence that meets legal requirements for the solution of the June 4th Massacre and the transitional justice.
We believe that the collection and preservation of this heritage has huge historic, cultural, social significance and crucial political value for past, present and future generations. This project will also be critical to the process of transitional justice and national reconciliation, prerequisites for China’s democratic transition. We also believe that China cannot move forward without rectifying the wrongdoing of the Tiananmen Massacre, re-evaluating the 1989 Democracy Movement and holding those responsible accountable.
In addition, we believe this project has a good chance of success. The most comparable cases are the inscription of the Gwangju Uprising on UNESCO’s MoW and the inscription of the South American military governments’ serious violations of human rights archives on UNESCO’s MoW. Once the inscription is successful, it will be the best commemoration for the 1989 Democracy Movement and the Tiananmen Massacre.
Our project team is composed of scholars and experts, archive professionals, human rights activists, IT experts and volunteers who study the 1989 Democracy Movement and June 4th Tiananmen Massacre at home and abroad. The archive platform is scheduled to be accessible online on the eve of the 30th anniversary.
CPIFC welcomes more volunteers to participate in this project.
III. Civic Criminal Court of Tiananmen Massacre
In the face of the brutality of dictators, human rights activists, non-governmental organizations and other civil society organizations are often helpless about their atrocities. However, civil society organizations around the world have begun to set up more and more civil courts, civic courts, and simulated courts to hold perpetrators accountable in accordance with international law and due process of law. Undoubtedly, the civic court will face many challenges and the legal effects and enforcement of its judgments will encounter difficulties, but as a powerful tool against human rights violations, its judgments will be of great value to the courts established for transitional justice in the future and will have a moral condemnation and shocking effect on convicted criminals.
Based on the above considerations, CPIFC has decided to invite domestic and international renowned jurists and lawyers serving as judges, prosecutors, plaintiffs’ lawyers and defendants’ defense lawyers to establish the Civic Criminal Court of Tiananmen Massacre in accordance with the procedures of the International Court of Justice and international human rights law, in particular, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Those Chinese officials and PLA officers and soldiers who participated in the Tiananmen Massacre committed crimes against humanity, including the massacre of innocent civilians, false imprisonment in violation of the basic rules of international law or other serious deprivation of personal liberty, torture, enforced disappearance, deliberately-caused pain or other crimes of the same nature, such as inhumane acts that caused significant suffering or serious harm to the human body or physical and mental health. This Civic Criminal Court aims to bring these criminals to trial. The defendants shall be judged according to law through legal procedures such as hearing, evidence collection, debate, and defense.
CPIFC urges human rights activists and non-governmental organizations and other civil society organizations to participate in the above activities to commemorate the great 1989 Democracy Movement and to keep the 6·4 spirit in our hearts!
公民力量正式启动六四三十周年纪念活动
新年伊始，公民力量正式启动三项活动，纪念八九民运，继承英烈遗志，传接抗争薪火，光大六四精神，寻求真相，追究责任，奠定转型正义基础。
一、”坦克人”雕像
公民力量正式委托制作全球首个共产主义受难者纪念雕像的艺术家Thomas Marsh为天安门坦克人塑像。这位至今身份和生死不明的年轻人曾于1989年6月5日在天安门附近长安街只身挡住中共坦克列队，其英雄壮举已经成为1989民运的永久象征，充分体现人类不畏强权的勇气和非暴力抗争的精神。三十年来，天安门坦克人激励了世界上许多国家和社区争取自由和人权的斗争，他们在各自的抗争中都创造了自己的坦克人时刻和形象。人们或许忘记了甚至不知道八九民运和六四屠杀，但无人不识坦克人。《时代》杂志因此将坦克人评为20世纪最重要人物之一。
然而，中共的信息审查让中国人集体失忆，年轻人不知道坦克人，不了解他的英雄壮举。
为了发扬坦克人精神、为了纪念他和他所代表的整个一代六四人，我们为坦克人树立雕像，充分肯定其历史价值，让他永久地活着。
坦克人雕像的设计已经完成。这是一尊由真人大小的铜像和二维坦克图像组成的雕塑，拟在六四三十周年纪念日揭幕。
公民力量希望借助各种平台，利用众筹方式为”坦克人”雕像项目募集资金，同时让大家有机会参与六四纪念活动，通过这一方式祭悼英烈，让每个都成为坦克人。
二、天安门档案–1989民运/64屠杀
1989民运和天安门64屠杀已经过去三十年，但是至今为止还没有一个符合档案建立和管理专业标准的、全面系统地收集整理归类的文献、资料、证词证据的档案馆。若干受害者、亲历者已离世、施暴者死去或洗白，大量宝贵资料消失。公民力量的1989民运和天安门64屠杀档案项目旨在弥补这一空白，在短期内按专业档案要求收集整理各种相关资料信息，以期达到如下目标：
1. 创建1989民运/64屠杀档案网络平台档案馆；
2. 系统收集整理保存有关1989民运和64屠杀的重要核心资料、寻求事件真相，包括受害者和责任人的精确信息；
3. 向联合国教科文组织申遗，包括坦克人音像资料的申遗；
4. 为六四问题的解决和转型正义准备符合法律要求的证据资料。
我们认为收集和保护这些8964遗产和文献具有巨大的历史、文化、社会、政治意义，对过去、现在和将来都有重要政治价值。该项目对过渡时期司法和民族和解进程也至关重要，它是中国民主转型的先决条件。我们还认为，如果不重新评价89民运，不追究中共天安门大屠杀的不法行为和施暴者的罪责，中国就无法前行。
同时我们相信这个项目联合国申遗成功机会很大，因为类似的南韩光州起义、南美国家军政府严重侵犯人权档案均成功申遗。一旦申遗成功，将是对89民运和天安门大屠杀的最好纪念。
该项目团队将由国内外研究1989民运和天安门64屠杀的学者专家、档案专业人士、人权活动人士、IT专家以及自愿者组成，档案平台计划在三十周年纪念日前夕上线。
公民力量欢迎更多自愿者参加这一项目的工作。
三、天安门公民刑事法庭
面对独裁者的凶残，人权活动人士和非政府组织和其他公民社会团体对其暴行常常束手无策。然而，世界各国的公民社会组织开始设立越来越多的民间法庭、公民法庭、模拟法庭，依照国际法及正当法律程序对施暴者进行追责。虽然公民法庭会有许多挑战，其判决法律效力和判决的执行等都会碰到困难，但是作为一个反制人权侵害的强有力工具，其判决会对未来转型正义所设立的法庭有极大参考价值，并对被判罪犯有道德谴责和震慑的作用。
基于上述考虑，公民力量决定聘请国内、国际知名法学家和律师依据国际法院程序和国际人权法，特别是《国际刑事法院罗马规约》设立天安门公民刑事法庭，分别担任法官、检察官、原告律师、被告辩护律师，审判中共官员和解放军官兵在天安门大屠杀中犯下的反人类罪，包括屠杀枪击无辜平民、违反国际法基本规则监禁或以其他方式严重剥夺人身自由、实施酷刑、强迫失踪、故意造成重大痛苦或对人体或身心健康造成严重伤害的其他性质相同的不人道行为等罪行。通过听证、取证、辩论、辩护等程序，对被告依法进行判决。
公民力量恳请人权活动人士和非政府组织和其他公民社会团体参与上述活动，纪念伟大的89民运，让六四精神永存于我们心中！