On March 1, Ding Zilin published an open letter to the deputies to the Third Session of the Tenth National Congress and the commissars of the Political Consultative Conference, on behalf of 125 victims and family members of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre. The letter requests a just settlement of the massacre following due democratic and legal procedures and also demands open redress in the case of the late Zhao Ziyang. The letter says that the human rights situation in China has grown worse under the fourth generation of leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. Part of this open letter is as follows:

Dear Deputies to the National People’s Congress and Commissars of the Political Consultative Conference,

A year ago today, we sent you a letter, cordially inviting you to submit a bill to the Congress regarding a just resolution to the June 4th incident. A year has now passed and we have regrettably seen no response from you.

The movement that found voice on Tiananmen Square 15 years ago was a peaceful demonstration and petition movement from students and residents opposed to corruption and demanding an acceleration of the political democratization process. It was not, as the government refers to it, a so-called “turmoil” or “riot.” But the authorities’ mobilization of hundreds of thousands of fully armed soldiers to confront unarmed demonstrators, and using a bloody slaughter to maintain so-called “national stability” is an atrocity against humanity that violates our own Constitution and international laws.

We emphasize that the death of former Secretary General of the Central Committee of the CCP Zhao Ziyang on Jan. 17 is a significant event in our country. He advocated the democratic and legal handling of the students’ demonstration and opposed any forceful suppression. However, flying in the face of public opinion, Deng Xiaoping and others rejected Zhao’s suggestion and used the army in a violent suppression that led to the tragedy of that day. Zhao was later dismissed from office under unusual circumstances and put under illegal house arrest for 15 years until his death. We believe that the “charges” Deng and his cohorts imposed on Zhao must now be completely cleared. This historic case of injustice must finally be openly redressed and corrected.

It is also necessary to remind you that since the fourth generation leaders of the CCP came to power, China has regressed politically and the human rights situation worsens daily. Control over free speech and the Internet has never been tighter. During the recent funeral arrangements for Zhao, the authorities completely disregarded reasonable requests from his family and, furthermore, used military police to stop and molest participants at public expressions of mourning. We have learned that in Beijing alone, more than 10 families of June 4 victims have been strictly monitored and put under house arrest. We believe these actions from the CCP leaders not only breach the will of the people, but also blaspheme the dignity of the Constitution.

Nearly 16 years have passed since the June 4 massacre. In that time, we, the victims of that tragedy, have always peacefully and rationally appealed to the National People’s Congress to follow due legal process and submit the June 4 issue as a special bill to be discussed at the Congress and justly resolved through dialogue. To this end, since 1995, we have made three requests: Re-investigate the June 4 incident, compensate the June 4 victims according to the law and prosecute those responsible under law. Ten years have passed since we first raised these requests and suggestions. In that time, the leaders of China have passed from the second generation onto the third, then to the fourth, but the June 4 issue has never appeared on the political agenda. Needless to say, we are deeply disappointed.

The Congress will soon convene. We hope that you will execute your mission by submitting and advocating for discussion, a bill to resolve the issues around the June 4 incident and its victims and about the injustice done towards Zhao Ziyang.

Ding Zilin

On behalf of 125 June 4 victims and their family members