(Communist China) Tiananmen mothers won’t let memory of their dead fade
— Reuters: “Twenty years after her teenage son was shot by troops near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Zhang Xianling is still trying to work out how many others died with him.”
— “‘China is on the road to democracy and the rule of law, but we don’t know how long that road will be … Before, I thought I would see the day, now I am not so sure,’ Zhang said in an interview in her comfortable living room, filled with books and her husband’s musical instruments.”
— “‘Now the economy is more developed. A lot of people just chase economic advancement, and don’t worry about politics.'”
— “Zhang’s son, Wang Nan, was a cheerful, bespectacled 19-year-old when he left a note on the night of June 3 to say he was going to join friends on Tiananmen Square.”
— “It took 10 days before his disinterred body was returned to his parents. His glasses were still on his face.”
— “Zhang founded Tiananmen Mothers with another woman, Ding Zilin, whose 17-year-old son was also killed. The group is trying to make a list of the dead and urge for a reassessment of the verdict that the movement was a ‘counter-revolutionary’ plot.”
— “They recently confirmed one more name, bringing their list of victims to 195. Zhang believes they have only identified about one-tenth of those killed.”
— “‘Our greatest hope is to be able to openly say it was wrong for the army to fire on people. Civil society should be able to participate in an investigation,’ Zhang said.”
— “Their quest is impeded by police surveillance, the mistrust of families of the dead and the demolition of Beijing’s traditional alleyways, which has scattered neighbors and made families harder to track down.”
— “The group issued a statement in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the crackdown calling for an investigation, compensation and prosecution of those responsible.”