COMMEMORATING EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE (House of Representatives - June 04, 1997)
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, today we remember the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre and those brave souls who so valiantly fought for human rights in China.
Eight years ago today the world was shocked to witness the brutal suppression of individual freedom and liberty in Tiananmen Square. A massacre which is still not acknowledged by the authoritarian leaders of China seared their memory. The images of that massacre are imprinted on our consciousness. Who can forget the image of the lone man before the tank?
We must not forget those who lost their lives for the cause of freedom. We must not forget those still imprisoned who have lost their liberty in pursuit of this basic human right. It is said that the most excruciating form of punishment that captors can inflict on their political prisoners is to tell them that no one remembers or cares about them or their cause, that they are forgotten. Every time we raise our voices, we give strength to the brave men and women, we keep hope and freedom alive.
The spirit of Tiananmen Square lives on. We remember the martyrs of the spring of 1989. We remember the advocates of democracy who languish in China's prison and labor camps. We remember Wei Jingsheng. We remember the lone man before the tank.
We are here today to show the world that the seeds of democracy sown in 1989 are still alive and that they will inevitably burst forth in a full flowering. One day soon, the goddess of democracy will reign again in Tiananmen Square. But today we must all say to the rulers in Beijing, we shall never forget.
