Sen. Cruz Remembers 25th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
Calls for Naming Area In Front of PRC Embassy After Chinese Human Rights Activist Dr. Liu Xiaobo
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today recognized the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square and submitted a letter to Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray requesting the portion of International Place in Northwest Washington, D.C. in front of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China be renamed “Liu Xiaobo Plaza.”
Sen. Cruz released the following statement:
“On June 4, 1989 tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers stormed into Tiananmen Square in Beijing to confront the protestors who had assembled there to demand freedom from the tyranny of Communism. Neither side would back down until the military resorted to tanks and indiscriminate machine-gun fire that devastated the opposition.
“In the People’s Republic of China, however, the very mention of June 4th remains a rallying cry for those brave souls who still believe the Chinese people deserve basic personal liberties. ‘June 4th’ is so powerful, in fact, that it is the single most targeted phrase by the PRC censors who are waging a relentless war against internet freedom in China.
“But ‘June 4th’ keeps cropping up. Even twenty-five years later the memory of a brave man standing alone in front of a line of tanks is a powerful testament to the power of a single voice crying out for freedom. These voices still exist in China despite the best efforts of the authorities to silence them.
“I was proud today to work with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and 13 other Senate colleagues to send a letter to Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray supporting an effort by our House of Representatives colleagues to get the portion of International Place in front of the PRC embassy renamed ‘Liu Xiaobo Plaza.’
“This designation would honor the poet, human rights activist, and 2010 Nobel Laureate who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and is today serving an eleven-year prison sentence for his opposition to the PRC authorities. At the very least, this modest gesture would express to Dr. Liu and all those peacefully protesting for freedom in China that the people of the United States stand with them.”
The letter is also signed by Sens. Sessions (R-AL), Ayotte (R-NH), Alexander (R-TN), Fischer (R-NE), Cornyn, (R-TX), Enzi (R-WY), Flake (R-AZ), Johanns (R-NE), Toomey (R-PA), Thune (R-SD), Rubio (R-FL), Vitter (R-LA), and Wicker (R-MS).
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