25th Anniversary of Tiananmen: CECC Resources
In 1989 citizens from all walks of life participated in demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and throughout China calling for political reform, respect for universal freedoms of speech, assembly, and association, and an end to government corruption. The government's violent suppression of the protests in June of that year had far-reaching ramifications for both the development of human rights and rule of law in China and U.S.-China relations. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China has a number of resources to assist in understanding the ongoing significance of this event and its impact on China’s human rights and rule of law development.
CECC Members' Statements on 25th Anniversary
Hearing: “Tiananmen at 25: Enduring Influence on U.S.-China Relations and China’s Political Development” (May 20, 2014)
- Chairman Senator Sherrod Brown on 25th Anniversary of Tiananmen
- Cochairman Congressman Chris Smith on 25th Anniversary of Tiananmen
- Hearing webcast and witness testimonies
Political Prisoners Related to Tiananmen
In the lead-up to the 25th anniversary, Chinese officials have detained a number of individuals, which the Commission has documented in its constantly updated Political Prisoner Database (follow the hyperlink for information on the cases below).
In addition, the Commission has documented the detention of other individuals who participated in the 1989 protests and remain detained today for activities related to peacefully advocating or exercising internationally recognized human rights, including:
Other Hearings & Roundtables On Tiananmen
- Tiananmen at 20: Examining the Significance of the 1989 Demonstrations in China and Implications for U.S. Policy
- 15 Years After Tiananmen: Is Democracy in China’s Future?
- Voices of the Small Handful: 1989 Student Movement Leaders Assess Human Rights in Today’s China
CECC Analysis Related to Tiananmen
- China Suppresses Calls for An Official Accounting of Tiananmen Crackdown
- Police Charge Liu Xiaobo on “Inciting Subversion Charge”
- Tan Zuoren Sentenced for Posting Essays on Tiananmen on the Internet
- Family Members of Li Wangyang Detained
- Li Jianhong Blocked from Returning to China
Other CECC Resources on Recent Human Rights Developments
- CECC Commissioners Letter to President Xi Jinping Calls for End to Crackdown on Rights Advocates
- Inadequate Medical Care Provided to Cao Shunli Before Her Death in Prison
- Xi’s Anticorruption Campaign Targeting Transparency Advocates
- Equality and Government Transparency Liu Xia Health Deteriorates Under Arbitrary Detention
- Latest Setback for Foreign Journalists As New York Times Reporter Leaves China
- Ilham Tohti and His Students Arrested
- Labor Leader’s Detention Highlights Challenges of Collective Bargaining in China
- Government Announces Revision to Population Planning Policy
- China Continues to Repatriate North Koreans After UN Commission on Inquiry Report