Tiananmen Mothers founder Ding Zilin responds to letter from HRIC, expresses gratitude and grief
In a rare and deeply moving letter, Ding Zilin (丁子霖), founder of the Tiananmen Mothers and a long-time advocate for justice for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, has responded to a letter from Human Rights in China (HRIC). The letter, from HRIC’s Executive Director Fengsuo Zhou and colleagues, was an unusual arrival for Ding, who remains under strict government monitoring.
Ding, now nearly 90, recounted her declining health, including multiple falls last year which left her with broken ribs and a head injury. Despite these hardships, she refuses to let the CCP’s enforced amnesia bury the truth of June Fourth.
The murder of her only child, Jiang Jielian, spurred Ding and her late husband, Jiang Peikun, to found the Tiananmen Mothers in the early 1990s. Jiang Jielian, a well-liked and industrious student, acted as a steward in the student protests before June 4th. On the night of June 3rd, against his parents' pleas, he locked himself in a bathroom, climbed out of a window, and joined crowds attempting to prevent the People's Liberation Army from entering the streets of Beijing. Jielian was shot in the back, and died at the age of 17.
The Tiananmen Mothers are ordinary citizens who have become lifelong activists through shared tragedy. Since their inception, this group has tirelessly sought truth, justice, and accountability, demanding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) acknowledge and accept responsibility for the brutal crackdown it ordered against its own citizens in 1989. HRIC has stood by their cause for over thirty years. Ding commended HRIC’s respect for the group’s independence and decision-making autonomy, thanking both well-known and anonymous supporters who have sustained their struggle. Ding's husband passed away in 2015 without ever seeing justice for their son.
In her letter, Ding notes continued government surveillance. Both her mobile phone and landline have been blocked from international calls, cutting her off from her supporters and former students. She noted that her hearing has deteriorated due to COVID-19, and speaks of her deepening sense of isolation.
Ding’s poignant words remind us of the resilience of those who defy the CCP's attempts to erase history. As she wrote in closing, despite her struggles, she remains committed to her mission: “There is no other word but ‘gratitude’ to express my feelings.”
While the CCP parades itself as a trustworthy global power, it still harasses aging, grieving parents like Ding, whose only 'crime' is to remember the truth of its moral bankruptcy. HRIC continues to call on the Chinese government to cease its persecution of those who seek justice and accountability for the events of June 4, 1989. We reaffirm our commitment to supporting the Tiananmen Mothers.
