Washington uses Tiananmen Square commemorations to invoke current human rights issues

Washington marked the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown with a series of events and statements on Tuesday, urging Beijing to release political prisoners and hold itself accountable for alleged human rights abuses.

“Today, on the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, we remember the tens of thousands of peaceful Chinese pro-democracy protesters who were brutally assaulted for standing up for freedom, human rights and an end to corruption,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken also paid tribute to the “many voices now silenced throughout the country, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong” and vowed to continue working with the international community to promote “accountability” for Beijing’s alleged abuses within and beyond its borders.