The Tiananmen Mothers

Source: Human Rights in China

The Tiananmen Mothers, a group of Chinese pro-democracy activists, have worked hard to promote a change in the government’s position in relation to the suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests (Tai, 2006). Led by Ding Zilin, a retired university professor whose son was shot and killed by government troops during the protests, the Tiananmen Mothers comprise parents, friends, relatives, and guardians of all those who were killed during the massacre at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

The beginnings

The Tiananmen Square Protests and Massacre took place on June 4, in China. Student-led demonstrations took place from April 15 to June 4, 1989, and on the night of June 3, the Chinese government declared martial law and deployed troops in Tiananmen Square. On June 4, Deng Xiaoping, a chief military commander of the People’s Liberation Army, issued orders to shoot the student activists. This resulted in the deaths of several student activists (Carrabine et al., 2009).

The Tiananmen Mothers was formed in September 1989. Ding Zilin met Zhang Xianling, another mother whose son was killed during the massacre, and together, they worked to keep the memories of those who were killed during the massacre alive. Over time, the group began to educate the masses on the events of the Tiananmen Square, both online and offline. The group now comprises relatives of the 125 individuals who were killed during the protests (Tai, 2006).

Philosophy professor and member of the Communist Party of China, Ding Zilin lost her 17 year old son, Jiang Jielian, when he was on his way to Tiananmen Square. She launched a one-woman campaign to establish the truth of what had happened to her son and everyone else who was killed that night (Goldman, 2005). In response to her efforts, the government put her under surveillance, and she faced tremendous harassment when she strived to meet the families of other victims (Goldman, 2005). This collective of family members came together to act on their “shared fate and suffering” (Goldman, 2005).

The Tiananmen Mothers looked to draw the attention of the international media to shine a spotlight on their story. Through these engagements, they condemned the actions of the Chinese government and Premier Li Peng for their views that crackdowns are essential for social stability. They also leaned on people of conscience to continue to keep alive the memories of all those who had lost their lives (Peerenboom, 2007). In 1994, Ding Zilin published a factual account, titled “The Factual Account of a Search for the June 4 Victims.” This account listed the details of 96 people who had been killed. Five years after that, it came to light that 155 deaths and 65 who were injured. She noted that these were still not figures that painted the full picture (Tai, 2006).

This came at a personal and professional cost for Ding. She was harassed and subject to surveillance. Her campaigning resulted in her expulsion from the Communist Party of China, and she and her husband were forced into retirement in 1993 (Goldman, 2005). They also faced lawsuits. However, they remained steadfast in their campaigns (Peerenboom, 2007).  

Keeping vigil

The Tiananmen Mothers have a five-point demand to the Chinese government: (a) The right to mourn peacefully in public (b) The right to accept humanitarian aid from outside China (c) The end to the persecution of victims, including all those injured in the shootings and the relatives of the dead and injured alike (d) The release of all people still in prison for their role in the 1989 protests and (e) A full public investigation of the crackdown. They also call on the government to name the dead, make reparations to their families, and prosecute and punish all those responsible for the massacre (Peerenboom, 2007). In 2006, the government offered 70,000 yuan to one of the families – although there was no formal change in position after (Peerenboom, 2007).

In advocating for their cause, the Tiananmen mothers also issued several public appeals, as well as appeals to the National People’s Congress, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the judiciary, the population, as well as the UN Human Rights Council and foreign INGOs and media houses. Their petition to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate in June 1999 carried signatures from 108 relatives, and called for a legal ruling on the deaths of the protestors. The petition carried evidence, testimonials, as well as the names of all those dead and injured as identified at that point (Goldman, 2005).

Warnings against commemoration and increased surveillance continue (Goldman, 2005; Tai, 2006). The website for the movement has been blocked by internet censorship in China (Goldman, 2005). However, the Tiananmen mothers continue to call for a process of truth and reconciliation, and for the memories of all those killed and injured to not be erased (Stichele & Penner, 2005; Carrabine et al., 2009).  

References

Carrabine, E., Cox, P., Lee, M., South, N., & Plummer, K. (2009). "Victim movements - examples from around the world" in Criminology: A Sociological Introduction. Taylor & Francis.

Goldman, M. (2005). From Comrade to Citizen: The Struggle for Political Rights in China. Harvard University Press.

Peerenboom, R. (2007). China modernizes: threat to the West or model for the rest? Oxford University Press.

Stichele, C., & Penner, T. (2005). Her Master's Tools?: Feminist and Postcolonial Engagements of Historical-critical Discourse. Society of Biblical Literature.

Tai, Z. (2006). The Internet in China: Cyberspace and Civil Society. CRC Press.