Chinese Authorities Urged to Unconditionally Compensate Tiananmen Square Massacre Victims' Families

Wei Ran / VOA | May 5 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A provincial government in China has offered money in exchange for silence. Family members of Zhou Guocong who was killed in the June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre have been offered compensation by Sichuan Provincial and local authorities in exchange for withdrawing their court case against the government. The Tiananmen Mothers [1] representative, Mrs. Ding Zilin, has said that members of her group do not accept this precedence and demand that assistance be given to the victims' families unconditionally.

The Chinese Regime is Still Not Open About the Tiananmen Square Massacre
Several days ago, Zhou Guocong's mother, Tang Deying, received 70,000 yuan (US$8,738) from the Sichuan local government in the form of a "subsidy for the needy." The government's action has made some international observers wonder if the Chinese communist regime is opening up about 1989's Tiananmen Square massacre. Ding Zilin, who also lost a son in Tiananmen Square, says that Deying's subsidy cannot be regarded as the first successful case of indemnity. She says that the government made it clear the money was a subsidy for the needy and not compensation for her son's life. In addition, Tang Deying had to pay a huge price for the money she received. "To receive this 70,000 yuan subsidy for the needy in two payments of 35,000 yuan ($4,369) over two years, Tang Deying had to sign a withdrawal of litigation agreement," said Ding Zilin. "I think it has been made perfectly clear that it means she has given up her right to pursue a criminal investigation." Ding Zilin believes that the Sichuan local authorities' handling of Zhou Guocong [victim in the June 4 Incident] case was not a local decision, but rather authorized from above.
Tiananmen Mothers Will Not Be Silenced

Ding Zilin said that although she fully sympathizes with Tang Deying and respects her decision, most members of the Tiananmen Mothers will not give up their right to investigate and indemnity claim in exchange for money. She said, "It has been made very clear that during the time the victims' family members have been making three separate appeals to the Chinese communist regime, they have been ignoring us, but at the same time looking for an opportunity to deal with the issue. Now a card was played and it turned out to be like this: Shut your mouth, give up your criminal investigation and sign a waiver of indemnity claim against the authorities. I'll give you some subsidy for the needy, but that depends on your situation. We must give the communist regime a clear answer to make them take back that card." Three demands were initiated by the Tiananmen Mothers in 1995. They asked for, first, a special investigative committee to be formed to investigate the June 4 incident in an independent, transparent and fair manner, and publish the results of the investigation to the general public. Second, they demanded that the government give an explanation to all the families of people killed in Tiananmen Square and that the national congress pass a "June 4 Victims Compensation Act." Third, they demanded that the procuratorial organs place the June 4 massacre cases on file for investigation, and that the criminal responsibility of people for the massacre at Tiananmen Square be legally pursued and punished.

'The Government's Compensation Should be Unconditional'

Ding Zilin says that a number of family members from the Tiananmen Mothers have asked for assistance from the government, but none of them have been successful. The reason for this is that they are unwilling to exchange silence for economic compensation. Ding Zilin says that the Tiananmen Mothers do not expect all three demands to be fulfilled at once. They accept the fact that some local governments are providing subsidies to a few of the families. But they say such direct subsidies must be unconditional. She said, "First the easy part, but now the difficult part. What is the most difficult is to draw a qualitative conclusion on the 1989 Pro-democracy Movement. Now the difference between the victims and the governmental authority on this issue is quite big. It would be good if the government were to give some economic assistance to the poorest ones who are in extraordinarily straitened, unconditionally, and not ask them to give up their rights, not ask them to forgo a future lawful action, not ask them to give up their right to future compensation and not ask them to shut up. If the subsidy for the needy is unconditional, then I applause the decision."
'There are Still People Who Help Families of the Victims'

Ding Zilin also told Voice of America that even though the Chinese regime tried to freeze international humanitarian aid to the families of the June 4 Incident victims, individuals and organizations were still able to transfer funds to her, which she has given to those in the greatest need.

Note: [1] The Tiananmen Mothers is a network mainly comprised of those Chinese mothers who lost their sons, husbands or other loved ones in and around Tiananmen Square during the massacre in 1989. This group of women led by Mrs. Ding Zilin has campaigned persistently to document human rights violations, to help the vulnerable and the forgotten and to seek redress and accountability.

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