Initiatives for China a.k.a Citizen Power in China (IFC/CPFC) enthusiastically applauds Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s June 4 statement on the 28th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre, and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s June 6th remarks at the United Nations Human Rights Council and in the Graduate Institute of Geneva.
We and many other participants in the 1989 pro-democracy movement and families of the massacre victims are very grateful that the Trump Administration has not forgotten the bloody crackdown of a peaceful protest by the Chinese Communist regime, and truly commits to universal rights and fundamental freedoms.
IFC believes that the United States’ calling on China to make a full accounting of the tragedy and urging the regime to stop further persecution of the protesters and their families will encourage the Chinese people, and that the satisfactory resolution of the Tiananmen Square Massacre is critical for truth-finding, transitional justice, and national reconciliation, and ultimately China’s peaceful transition to democracy.
We are especially calling the U.S. government and the people around world to pay special attention to the fate of the Tank Man. The iconic image of the Tank Man in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, bravely confronting PLA tanks vividly represents the moral courage of ordinary citizens confronting State violence. The image was recently selected by Times as one of 100 Most Influential Photographs of All Time (http://www.initiativesforchin
For nearly three decades, the whole world has been asking: Where is the Tank Man? As of today, the identity of the Tank Man and his subsequent fate are still unknown to the world. We have been running a campaign seeking the truth about him. (http://tinyurl.com/finding2ta
IFC/CPFC is also greatly inspired by Ambassador Haley’s reaffirmation of the United States’ strong commitment to advance human rights in the UN Human Rights Council. We fully agree with the Ambassador that the UN Human Rights Council has lost the trust of the peoples in the world by allowing the world’s worst human rights offenders like China to be its members, who damage, rather than advance, the cause of human rights.
IFC whole-heartedly supports the Ambassador’s appeal to reestablish the Human Rights Council’s legitimacy and to allow the participation of civil society in the Council’s work. In 2015 and 2016, IFC and other civil society organizations launched a campaign to demand reform of the UN Human Rights Council and to stop China’s reelection to the seat on the Council, because China’s recent horrific human rights record clearly shows that it would ruin the reputation, credibility of the organization. But, our voice was ignored by UN members.
IFC shares the Ambassador’s view that the UN Human Right Council i.e. its predecessor the UN Human Rights Commission, has failed what it was set up to do in 1947 – protect all peoples against human rights abusers in the world. Thus, it must go through a fundamental reform to regain the trust of the people.
IFC/CPFC looks forward to working with the Trump Administration to stop gross human rights violations and abuses in China and in the world.
References:
Appeal against China’s Membership of UN Human Rights Council
Washington Post
China hasn’t earned a spot on Human Rights Council
By Yang Jianli November 1, 2013
Washington Post
Say no to China’s membership on the U.N. Human Rights Council
By Yang Jianli October 24, 2016
Steps to Make the United Nations Address China’s Human Rights Situation More Effectively
By Yang Jianli