[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 103 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 103

 Concerning the tenth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 
            June 4, 1989, in the People's Republic of China.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                 May 18 (legislative day, May 14), 1999

Mr. Hutchinson (for himself, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Smith of 
  New Hampshire, Ms. Collins, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Abraham, Mr. 
   Sessions, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Brownback, and Mr. Helms) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

                              May 27, 1999

        Committee discharged; considered, amended, and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Concerning the tenth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 
            June 4, 1989, in the People's Republic of China.

Whereas the United States was founded on the democratic principle that all men 
        and women are created equal and entitled to the exercise of their basic 
        human rights;
Whereas freedom of expression and assembly are fundamental human rights that 
        belong to all people and are recognized as such under the United Nations 
        Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and 
        Political Rights;
Whereas the death of the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the 
        People's Republic of China, Hu Yaobang, on April 15, 1989, gave rise to 
        peaceful protests throughout China calling for the establishment of a 
        dialogue with government and party leaders on democratic reforms, 
        including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the 
        elimination of corruption by government officials;
Whereas after that date thousands of prodemocracy demonstrators continued to 
        protest peacefully in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing until June 
        3 and 4, 1989, when Chinese authorities ordered the People's Liberation 
        Army and other security forces to use lethal force to disperse 
        demonstrators in Beijing, especially around Tiananmen Square;
Whereas nonofficial sources, a Chinese Red Cross report from June 7, 1989, and 
        the State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989, 
        gave various estimates of the numbers of people killed and wounded in 
        1989 by the People's Liberation Army soldiers and other security forces, 
        but agreed that hundreds, if not thousands, were killed and thousands 
        more were wounded;
Whereas 20,000 people nationwide suspected of taking part in the democracy 
        movement were arrested and sentenced without trial to prison or 
        reeducation through labor, and many were reportedly tortured;
Whereas human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch, Human Rights in China, 
        and Amnesty International have documented that hundreds of those 
        arrested remain in prison;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to suppress 
        dissent by imprisoning prodemocracy activists, journalists, labor union 
        leaders, religious believers, and other individuals in China and Tibet 
        who seek to express their political or religious views in a peaceful 
        manner; and
Whereas June 4, 1999, is the tenth anniversary of the date of the Tiananmen 
        Square massacre: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses sympathy to the families of those killed as a 
        result of their participation in the democracy protests of 1989 
        in the People's Republic of China, as well as to the families 
        of those who have been killed and to those who have suffered 
        for their efforts to keep that struggle alive during the past 
        decade;
            (2) commends all citizens of the People's Republic of China 
        who are peacefully advocating for democracy and human rights; 
        and
            (3) condemns the ongoing and egregious human rights abuses 
        by the Government of the People's Republic of China and calls 
        on that Government to--
                    (A) release all prisoners of conscience, including 
                those still in prison as a result of their 
                participation in the peaceful prodemocracy protests of 
                May and June 1989, provide just compensation to the 
                families of those killed in those protests, and allow 
                those exiled on account of their activities in 1989 to 
                return and live in freedom in the People's Republic of 
                China;
                    (B) put an immediate end to harassment, detention, 
                and imprisonment of Chinese citizens exercising their 
                legitimate rights to the freedom of expression, freedom 
                of association, and freedom of religion; and
                    (C) demonstrate its willingness to respect the 
                rights of all Chinese citizens by proceeding quickly to 
                ratify and implement the International Covenant on 
                Civil and Political Rights which it signed on October 
                5, 1998.
                                 <all>