On the 37th Anniversary of June 4, DPP Condemns China’s Human-Rights Suppression and Vows to Protect Democratic Taiwan

(Central News Agency reporter Wen Guixiang, Taipei, June 4) On the 37th anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen incident, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said today that countless Chinese citizens and students who took to the streets seeking democracy and freedom were met with forceful suppression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and that the incident remains unredressed to this day. The DPP criticized the Chinese government for failing to confront its history and for continuing to repress speech and human rights, calling for firm defense of Taiwan’s democracy and freedom so that "democratic Taiwan" will not become "China’s Taiwan."

The DPP stated that 37 years ago many brave Chinese citizens and students marched for democracy, freedom, and political reform. Instead of listening to public demands, the CCP authorities used tanks and troops to suppress them. Even after 37 years, the "June 4th incident" has not been redressed, and June 4 has effectively become a date that cannot be spoken about within China.

The DPP said it is regrettable that the Chinese government not only refuses to face this historical wrong but has become more authoritarian and intensified surveillance of its people.

In recent years, the CCP has escalated measures to suppress speech and monitor citizens, leading to a steady deterioration of human-rights conditions in China, the party said. It cited the example of Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kong’s Next Digital (Apple Daily), who received a heavy 20-year prison sentence from the CCP; likewise, in regions such as Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang, the use of national-security laws and authoritarian tools has suppressed democracy, violated human rights, enabled comprehensive surveillance, and forced assimilation. These brutal acts run counter to universal values and seriously harm global civilization.

Faced with the CCP’s external export of authoritarianism, the DPP stressed that Taiwan must resolutely defend democracy and freedom, reject China’s united-front attempts disguised as "peaceful" unification, and firmly safeguard against any unilateral Chinese attempt to turn "democratic Taiwan" into "China Taiwan."

The DPP noted that Jimmy Lai once wrote in his memoir that the "June 4 incident" was a turning point in his life, saying it "called me like a mother calling in the darkness toward the light." The DPP sincerely hopes that democratic figures, including Jimmy Lai, can soon regain their freedom, and that the Chinese people will soon shake off the darkness and gloom and be able to witness the light of dawn. (Editor: Su Zhizong) 1150604

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