Pelosi Statement Marking 34 Years Since Tiananmen Square Massacre

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi issued this statement marking 34 years since the Tiananmen Square Massacre, which occurred on June 4, 1989:

“Thirty-four years ago, the world witnessed one of the greatest acts of personal courage of our time.  Ordinary Chinese citizens – unflinching as they stared down troops and tanks – took to the streets, peacefully demanding their basic rights and defying an oppressive regime.  Though Beijing brutally crushed their protests, it could not break their spirit, which is an inspiration to this day.

“Over the last three decades, it has been my privilege to lend my voice to speak out for human rights in China and demand accountability for the Chinese Communist Party.  Tragically, the CCP has only accelerated its campaign of atrocities: jailing dissidents who dare to speak out, committing genocide against the Uyghur community, intimidating the people of Tibet, undermining democratic freedoms in Hong Kong, threatening the Democracy in Taiwan and more.  Importantly, there is a broad, bipartisan, bicameral consensus in the Congress to shine a bright light on Beijing’s behavior. 

“In 1991, two years after the massacre, I stood in Tiananmen Square and unfurled a banner that read: ‘To those who died for democracy in China.’  Today, Beijing must know: the world will never forget the martyrs of Tiananmen Square.”