Ding Zilin : A mother's right to mourn her lost son
Posted on: 27/05/08

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Ding Zilin is a retired university professor and the mother of one of the first students killed during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in June 1989. As Ding grieved the loss of her son, she encountered other mothers and family members who had lost sons and daughters during the Tiananmen Square demonstration. As a result, Ding was motivated to create the group the Tiananmen Mothers to provide support for bereaving families and demand that the government apologize for the deaths.

Since forming the group, Ding Zilin has faced arrest, threats and harassment by Chinese authorities. In the early 1990’s the Chinese authorities prevented her and her husband from publishing articles in China. In June 1993 Ding Zilin was invited to speak at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. Although she was prevented from leaving China, she was able to present a written statement making public her findings and demanding accountability.

In January 2005, Ding Zilin and her husband were placed under a form of house arrest in Beijing after she had requested permission to pay her respects to Zhao Ziyang, a prominent human rights activist that had passed away. Her house arrest may also have been the result of a letter that she and her husband, Jiang Peikun, wrote to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao on 13 December 2004 appealing for the release of two well-known activists, Liu Xiaobo and Yu Jie. These two activists, who were released the following day, had signed a letter urging the authorities to apologize for the crackdown at Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

Ding Zilin, along with two other Tiananmen Mothers Zhang Xianling and Huang Jinping were arrested again in March 2005 in an apparent attempt to warn them off against commemorating the 15th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen demonstration. She and the other two women were released a short time later.

However, there are signs that such controls have been relaxed. In June 2007, Ding Zilin, her husband, and two other members of victims’ families were reportedly allowed to light candles in front of pictures of their children in a short memorial ceremony west of Tiananmen Square, at the spot where Ding Zilin’s 17-year-old son was believed to have been shot dead by soldiers.

Please sign Amnesty's e-petition in support of the Tiananmen Mothers and their peaceful human rights activities.

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Public Debate in China

The failure of the authorities to address the military crackdown on the peaceful protests of 1989, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries, continues to tarnish China’s human rights record and the image of Beijing on the international stage.

Global experience shows that long-term social and political stability is best supported by addressing injustices of the past. This process will allow the strengthening the rule of the law and the principle that no one is above the law.

The Chinese government continues to stifle public debate over the issue of the Tiananmen demonstrations, which remains erased from magazines, newspapers, school text-books and internet sites in China. Over the last year in particular, official policies on media control and censorship have been intensified, preventing any public analysis or discussion of 3-4 June 1989 or other politically sensitive periods in China’s recent history. 

Amnesty’s Concerns in China

Stop using the death penalty.
Significantly reduce the use of the death penalty, as a step towards full abolition.

Ensure fair trials.
Ensure that trial and detention take place within international law, and stop the use of torture.

Respect the rights of human rights activists.
Ensure that human rights activists are free to carry out their peaceful activities – without harassment, intimidation or imprisonment.

Ensure internet freedom.
Ensure unrestricted, legitimate access to the internet across China, in accordance with international standards

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