US commemorates 'bravery' of Chinese people killed in Tiananmen Square crackdown

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked the 36th anniversary of the deadly crackdown in China’s Tiananmen Square.

"Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989," he said Tuesday in a statement.

Rubio said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget."

The 1989 protests started on April 15 and were forcibly suppressed on June 4 when the Chinese government sent the military to gain control of Tiananmen Square. Nearly 300 people died and 7,000 were injured, including soldiers.

"Their courage in the face of certain danger reminds us that the principles of freedom, democracy and self-rule are not just American principles. They are human principles the CCP cannot erase," Rubio said.