This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced a resolution “remembering the 32nd anniversary of the violent repression of peaceful protests centered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and expressing the sense of the Senate condemning the government of the People’s Republic of China’s ongoing denial of basic rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Rubio introduced the resolution on Tuesday with U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oreg., as a co-sponsor.
At the end of last week, Rubio weighed in on the anniversary and took aim at the Chinese regime.
“On June 4, 1989, 32 years ago, the Chinese Communist Party responded with brutality to peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Today’s anniversary is a poignant reminder of the Chinese people’s desire for freedom. Yet, the Chinese people and the world are facing an aggressive Chinese Communist regime that is increasing its repression domestically, committing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, crushing Hong Kong’s long-cherished freedoms and autonomy, as well as exporting its model of authoritarianism globally,” Rubio said on Friday.
“Even now, the CCP and Hong Kong government are arresting people who are peacefully commemorating the anniversary at Victoria Park. As we pay tribute to the courageous individuals who took to the streets to press for reforms in China and those who lost loved ones, the United States and the rest of the free world must honor the spirit of Tiananmen by continuing to expose the ongoing egregious human rights violations at the hands of the CCP and hold them accountable. We must continue to remind the world of the events of Tiananmen and never allow the CCP to erase it from the history books,” Rubio added.
The resolution was sent to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on which Rubio sits.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
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