This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre, and commemorative activities have been taking place around the world. Yuan Hongbing, a witness of the Tiananmen Square events and a legal expert, shared his memories and insights in an exclusive interview with Epoch Times. He reflected on the brutal scenes he witnessed and emphasized that for China to achieve freedom and democracy, it must go through a nationwide resistance and uprising to overthrow the Communist Party’s tyranny.
During the period from 1979 to 1986, Yuan Hongbing studied law at Peking University and later stayed on as a teacher. During the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, Yuan Hongbing was involved in establishing the “Peking University Teachers’ Support Group” and supporting the students during the Tiananmen Square protests. As a result, he was suspended and later secretly arrested on March 2, 1994, for “subverting the socialist system” by the authorities. He was subsequently exiled to Guizhou, where he worked as a teacher at Guizhou Normal University, serving as the dean of the law school. He went into exile in Australia in 2004.
During the interview, Yuan Hongbing vividly described the night of June 3, 1989, when he witnessed the violent crackdown by the Chinese military on students and civilians in Beijing. He recounted how he saw the streets filled with terrified citizens and the desperate resistance they showed to the advancing military forces. Yuan Hongbing personally experienced the horror of that night, including the sound of gunshots and the tragic loss of innocent lives, leaving a lasting impact on him.
Yuan Hongbing also shared his experiences and reflections on the events leading up to the Tiananmen Square massacre. He highlighted the lack of warning or indication of the imminent crackdown, as many believed that the People’s Liberation Army would not harm the people. However, the brutal reality of the military’s actions shattered those hopes and exposed the true nature of the Communist regime’s tyranny.
The interview delved into the discrepancies in the death toll estimates from the Tiananmen Square massacre, with British declassified documents indicating that at least 10,000 people were killed. Yuan Hongbing recalled the chaos and tragedy of that night, especially the participation of both Beijing residents and students from other regions, whose deaths were difficult to quantify due to the fear and secrecy surrounding the events.
Reflecting on the actions of former Premier Li Keqiang during the Tiananmen Square crackdown, Yuan Hongbing expressed disappointment at Li’s subsequent support for the regime’s oppressive policies, signifying a betrayal of their shared ideals and values. He emphasized the striking differences between the idealism and passion of the youth during the Tiananmen Square protests and the current generation’s attitudes towards dissent and democracy.
Yuan Hongbing highlighted the importance of fostering a sense of social awareness and resistance to challenge the Communist regime’s hold on power. He emphasized the need for a unified uprising involving all segments of society, rather than just relying on students, to initiate a comprehensive movement towards freedom and democracy in China. Yuan Hongbing’s insights underscored the enduring legacy of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in the face of oppressive regimes.