[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 4, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE

  (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, today we remember the victims of the 
Tiananmen Square massacre and those brave souls who so valiantly fought 
for human rights in China.
  Eight years ago today the world was shocked to witness the brutal 
suppression of individual freedom and liberty in Tiananmen Square. A 
massacre which is still not acknowledged by the authoritarian leaders 
of China seared their memory. The images of that massacre are imprinted 
on our consciousness. Who can forget the image of the lone man before 
the tank?
  We must not forget those who lost their lives for the cause of 
freedom. We must not forget those still imprisoned who have lost their 
liberty in pursuit of this basic human right. It is said that the most 
excruciating form of punishment that captors can inflict on their 
political prisoners is to tell them that no one remembers or cares 
about them or their cause, that they are forgotten. Every time we raise 
our voices, we give strength to the brave men and women, we keep hope 
and freedom alive.
  The spirit of Tiananmen Square lives on. We remember the martyrs of 
the spring of 1989. We remember the advocates of democracy who languish 
in China's prison and labor camps. We remember Wei Jingsheng. We 
remember the lone man before the tank.
  We are here today to show the world that the seeds of democracy sown 
in 1989 are still alive and that they will inevitably burst forth in a 
full flowering. One day soon, the goddess of democracy will reign again 
in Tiananmen Square. But today we must all say to the rulers in 
Beijing, we shall never forget.

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