A Brief Introduction to The Tiananmen Mothers

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Ding Zilin, formally an associate professor of philosophy at the People’s University of China, lost her son, Jiang Jelian, on June 3, 1989. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Ding was the first to dedicate her life to be an advocate for the dead, and in defense of the humanitarianism in China. Starting from 1991, she met with other victims’ mothers Mrs. Zhang Xianling, then, Su Bingxian, Zhou Shuzhuang, Li Xuewen, Xu Jue, etc. Together they began to coordinate self-help efforts of the June 4th victims’ families. This coordination eventually grew into an organized movement known as the Tiananmen Mothers.

The Tiananmen Mothers, under the leadership of Professor Ding Zilin , has been engaged in the following activities:

1. Humanitarian Work

1.1. Collecting, documenting and publishing the victims’ names and the circumstances under which each of the victims was killed or injured. The Chinese government has thus far denied all requests for a fair investigation of the tragedy, and resorted to suppressive measures in its attempt to destroy evidence of the killings and to erase memory of the tragedy. In defiance to this pressure, Mrs. Ding decided to document the deaths herself starting from 1991. This involves visits to remote parts of China to search for and meet with the victims’ families who live far from Beijing. In July 1993, Mrs. Ding published results of her investigation in a monograph, and updated versions were printed in 1994 and 1996. As of today, the list consists of 176 of dead and 71 of injured. A partial list of 176 victims is available in the Appendix A and also on the web site of Human Rights In China: http://iso.hrichina.org/iso/article.adp?article_id=137&subcategory_id=138.

Professor Ding Zilin has been constantly persecuted because of these activities. Her phone calls have been wire-tapped by the government 24 hours a day, all year round since she started the work ten years ago. Ding’s husband, formerly also a professor at the People’s University of China, was stripped of the right to supervise Ph.D. students. Their home has been kept under close surveillance. They have been followed by the security agents wherever they go. They were forbidden to stay in Beijing when the World Women’s Conference was held there. They were often kept under house arrest when foreign dignitaries were visiting Beijing. Mrs. Lois Snow, the widow of the American journalist Edgar Snow, was not allowed to meet with the Dings when she visited Beijing in April, 2000. Mrs. Su Bingxian, a member of the group, was detained and interrogated for 24 hours after she met with Mrs. Snow on behalf of Tiananmen Mothers . Mails of Ding and other members of Tiananmen Mothers were regularly tampered with. Their bank accounts are under close surveillance. They are often interrogated by the government security agents and often experience verbal abuse both in person and over the phone. National security agents follow them when they are traveling out of Beijing. Despite the constant harassment and persecution, all members of the Tiananmen Mothers persisted with their efforts.

1.2. Distributing the humanitarian aid among the victims’ families. Since 1993, various organizations delivered humanitarian financial aid to survivors and family members of the dead. The funds are from donations given by donors in China and abroad. Mrs. Ding and other members of the group took the responsibility of determining the need of each known victim’s family and distributing the fund. Again, the Chinese government persecuted all the Tiananmen Mothers for these activities. Their mail containing donations has been intercepted, and the donations by mail have been confiscated. In 1998 the government intercepted a donation wired from Germany to Professor Ding’s bank account in China. Messengers from outside China who attempted to deliver donations were detained and interrogated. There were also false rumors that the Tiananmen Mothers improperly used the donations from abroad. Government officials claim that their actions represent a threat to China’s national security. Nevertheless, the Tiananmen Mothers continued their efforts in distributing the humanitarian aid to as many as 103 families over the last ten years.

1.3. Establishing a Education Fund for children and orphans of Tiananmen tragedy victims.

Since 1998, the Fund has supported more than 50 children of Tiananmen tragedy victims who wished to attend school but could not otherwise afford it. The levels of supported education ranges from elementary school to university.

1.4. Demanding that China’s legislative body form a special commission to conduct a fair investigation of the massacre, and offer compensation to the families of those killed and injured. The Tiananmen Mothers made the appeal to the People’s Congress of China repeatedly since 1995. They submitted a legal petition to China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate in May, 1999, demanding an investigation into Li Peng’s responsibility for the bloodshed. They pointed out that the killing violated the Chinese Constitution and many of China’s criminal laws.

2. Work for Human Rights

Ding Zilin has been a vocal defender of June Fourth victims’ and families’ rights for employment, medical care, education, and reasonable compensation.

Tiananmen Mothers seeks justice by filing a lawsuit against Li Peng, the remaining member of those who planned and ordered the killings. The lawsuit was first initiated in China then was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (See Document #7). Tiananmen Mothers issued a statement in October, 2000 in support of the lawsuit brought by June Fourth Victims against Li Peng for crimes against humanity. It underlines the importance of holding Li Peng accountable to international law through a just trial. The statement calls on the international community to support the June Fourth victims in China and their domestic legal action seeking the trial of Li Peng in the People’s Republic.

In addition, Ding Zilin committed herself to the activities of defending universal human rights in China. She showed her strong support for the dissidents in China’s prisons. In 1995, Ding Co-authored an article with her husband, calling on Chinese people to show interest in Tibet’s human rights situation. In July 2003, Tiananmen Mothers voiced their support for Hong Kong’s citizens in their struggle to protect their civil rights. Tiananmen Mothers is a peaceful, rational, and nonviolent humanitarian movement.

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