[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 167 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 167

 Commending the people who have sacrificed their personal freedoms to 
  bring about democratic change in the People's Republic of China and 
  expressing sympathy for the families of the people who were killed, 
wounded, or imprisoned, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the 
  Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, China, from June 3 through 4, 
                                 1989.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 3, 2009

Mr. Inhofe (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Graham, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Menendez, 
  Mr. Vitter, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Coburn, and Mr. Webb) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commending the people who have sacrificed their personal freedoms to 
  bring about democratic change in the People's Republic of China and 
  expressing sympathy for the families of the people who were killed, 
wounded, or imprisoned, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the 
  Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, China, from June 3 through 4, 
                                 1989.

Whereas freedom of expression, assembly, association, and religion are 
        fundamental rights that all people should be able to possess and enjoy;
Whereas, in April 1989, in a demonstration of democratic progress, thousands of 
        students took part in peaceful protests against the communist government 
        of the People's Republic of China in the capital city of Beijing;
Whereas, throughout the month of May 1989, the students, in peaceful 
        demonstrations, drew more people, young and old and from all walks of 
        life, into central Beijing to demand better democracy, basic freedoms of 
        speech and assembly, and an end to corruption;
Whereas, from June 3 through 4, 1989, the Government of China ordered an 
        estimated 300,000 members of the People's Liberation Army to enter 
        Beijing and clear Tiananmen Square (located in central Beijing) by 
        lethal force;
Whereas, by June 7, 1989, the Red Cross of China reported that the People's 
        Liberation Army had killed more than 300 people in Beijing, although 
        foreign journalists who witnessed the events estimate that thousands of 
        people were killed and thousands more wounded;
Whereas more than 20,000 people in China were arrested and detained without 
        trial, due to their suspected involvement in the protests at Tiananmen 
        Square;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Government of China has 
        worked to censor information about the massacre at Tiananmen Square by 
        blocking Internet sites and other media outlets, along with other 
        sensitive information that would be damaging to the Government of China;
Whereas the Government of China has continued to oppress the people of China by 
        denying basic human rights, such as freedom of speech and religion, and 
        suppressing minority groups;
Whereas, during the 2008 Olympic Games, the Government of China promised to 
        provide the international media covering the Olympic Games with the same 
        access given the media at all the other Olympic Games, but denied access 
        to certain Internet sites and media outlets in attempts to censor free 
        speech;
Whereas the Department of State Human Rights Report for 2008 found that the 
        Government of China had increased already severe cultural and religious 
        suppression of ethnic minorities in Tibetan areas and the Xinjiang 
        Uighur Autonomous Region, increased the persecution of members of Falun 
        Gong, Christians from China, and other religious minorities, increased 
        the detention and harassment of dissidents and journalists, and 
        maintained tight controls on freedom of speech and the Internet;
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2009 
        stated, ``The Chinese government continues to engage in systematic and 
        egregious violations of the freedom of religion or belief, with 
        religious activities tightly controlled and some religious adherents 
        detained, imprisoned, fined, beaten, and harassed.''; and
Whereas the China Aid Association reported that in 2007, there were 693 cases in 
        which Christians from China were detained or arrested and 788 cases in 
        which Christian house church groups were persecuted by the Government of 
        China: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the people who have sacrificed their personal 
        freedoms and, in the case of the people who demonstrated at 
        Tiananmen Square in 1989, sacrificed their lives and freedom 
        to--
                    (A) bring about democratic change in the People's 
                Republic of China; and
                    (B) gain freedom of expression, assembly, 
                association, and religion for the people of China;
            (2) expresses its sympathy for the families of the people 
        who were killed, wounded, or imprisoned due to their 
        involvement in the peaceful protests in Tiananmen Square in 
        Beijing, China, from June 3 through 4, 1989;
            (3) condemns the ongoing human rights abuses by the 
        Government of China;
            (4) calls on the Government of China to--
                    (A) release all prisoners that are--
                            (i) still in captivity as a result of their 
                        involvement in the events from June 3 through 
                        4, 1989, at Tiananmen Square; and
                            (ii) imprisoned without cause;
                    (B) allow freedom of speech and access to 
                information, especially information regarding the 
                events at Tiananmen Square in 1989; and
                    (C) cease all harassment, intimidation, and 
                imprisonment of--
                            (i) members of religious and minority 
                        groups; and
                            (ii) people who disagree with policies of 
                        the Government of China;
            (5) supports efforts by free speech activists in China and 
        elsewhere who are working to overcome censorship (including 
        censorship of the Internet) and the chilling effect of 
        censorship; and
            (6) urges the President to support peaceful advocates of 
        free speech around the world.
                                 <all>