[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 77 (Tuesday, June 4, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    REMEMBERING TIANANMEN SQUARE'S MARTYRS FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY

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                         HON. KEITH J. ROTHFUS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 4, 2013

  Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the twenty-fourth 
anniversary of the massacre of unarmed civilian protesters in Beijing's 
Tiananmen Square.
  1989 was a momentous year in human history. We saw a new birth of 
freedom in many nations that had suppressed their people for more than 
a generation.
  That year, we also witnessed the People's Republic of China violently 
crush those who had the courage to stand up to their government. These 
protesters came from all walks of life. They were mothers, fathers, 
sons, and daughters. Many were students. They were united in their 
thirst for democracy and in their desire for the universal human 
freedoms of assembly and expression.
  They were silenced because they dared to defy their government. 
However, no government can crush the universal aspiration of people to 
be free.
  These protesters became martyrs in the cause for human rights and 
their thirst for freedom lives on in those who continue to struggle for 
human rights and dignity in China and around the world.
  We will never forget the heroes of Tiananmen Square.

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