Statement by Foreign Affairs Minister on 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square

June 4, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:

“Today, Canadians join others around the world in commemorating the 30th anniversary of the violent crackdown against unarmed and peaceful citizens in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

“Canada asks Chinese authorities to break the silence on these events by openly accounting for the Chinese citizens who were killed, detained or went missing.

“Under the Chinese constitution, Chinese citizens should enjoy freedom of speech, assembly, association and belief. Canada supports these fundamental human rights and stands with all those prevented from exercising their rights.

Thirty years later, the struggle for basic freedoms continues for human rights defenders in China, including lawyers and journalists. We call upon China to uphold all of its human rights obligations and for the release of those who have been unjustly and arbitrarily detained.”