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Vigil in Hong Kong for those who died during the brutal military crackdown in Tiananmen Square, Beijing in 1989. Photo: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

The Legacy of Tiananmen Square: 35 years of silence and censorship

This week the world marks 35 years since the Chinese government cracked down on protesters in Tiananmen Square, brutally murdering people who had gathered in Beijing to peacefully call for change and a democratic society. It is estimated that thousands of people were killed on 4 June,1989.

In our new podcast episode, journalist Jo Glanville talks to Fengsuo Zhou, former Tiananmen student leader and human rights activist, and ARTICLE 19’s Michael Caster about the cataclysmic events of 1989 and the continuing legacy of censorship.

‘We were kind of a bit fearful, but then we were encouraged by the overwhelming support, the show of solidarity of millions of people in Beijing alone… And that was echoed in hundreds of cities all over China and watched by the whole world. We were expecting some real change that could bring in more freedom and democracy.’

- Fengsuo Zhou, Executive Director of Human Rights in China

This freedom did not materialise. Years later, the Chinese government continues to censor all memory of those events from national history – both within the country and beyond its borders.  

‘We saw print media immediately changing the narratives, falling in line between or behind party lines…  And later, the government in Beijing extended this repression beyond its borders… [With the advent of the internet] came a new battlefield for censorship and surveillance.'

– Michael Caster, Asia Digital Programme Manager, ARTICLE 19

And yet, despite China’s extensive operations to control what people see, read and share, movements for change continue. What we saw with the 2022 ‘white paper’ protests – when people took to the streets to voice opposition to the government’s Covid restrictions – is evidence that the passion for freedom is still very much alive, though not always in the public square.

The Chinese Communist Party knows this: there’s a fear, says Michael Caster, that ‘these kernels of collective action might take root again’.

Governments and companies around the world must do more to pressure Beijing to stop its repressive tactics. And it’s up to us, as freedom of expression advocates, to hold them to account and continue demanding our democratic representatives take more direct action to protect human rights and those who have committed their lives to this cause.

Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, including on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon.

Alessandra Sampaio (widow of British journalism Dom Phillips), relatives, and friends at a demonstration on 5 June 2023, one year after Dom and Bruno were killed in the Amazon, Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Photo: Reuters/Pilar Olivares

2 years on from the deaths of Bruno and Dom

This week also marks 2 years since the disappearance and murder of indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips in Brazil.

The two were killed while on a boat trip in the Amazon researching a book on conservation initiatives – shocking evidence of just how vicious the struggle to protect precious (and valuable) land continues to be.

In the immediate aftermath of the crime, ARTICLE 19 Brazil and South America and partners were instrumental in requesting precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and the subsequent establishment of a landmark Joint Working Group tasked with monitoring Brazil’s progress with the implementation of the measures.

The profound challenges to protecting rights in the Amazon remain, as climate, human rights and indigenous activists face systemic threats from corporate interests, criminal organisations and paramilitary groups.

ARTICLE 19 Brazil and South America, together with partners, assessed Brazil’s progress towards ensuring a thorough investigation into, and accountability for, the murders, and preventing the repeat of similar crimes in the Amazon.

The Brazilian government must commit to ongoing dialogue with civil society organisations and listen to the specific demands of rights defenders in the Javari Valley. Only then can we ensure that the circumstances that led to the deaths of Dom and Bruno change, and that such crimes are never repeated.

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