Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A1221-W841

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A1221-W841

Release Date: June 29, 2019

发布日：2019年6月29日

Topic: Speech at US Congress for the 30th Commemoration of Tiananmen Square Protests -- Antoine Ripoll, Director of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington DC

标题：在美国国会发表的天安门广场抗议30周年纪念演讲 -- 欧洲议会华盛顿特区办公室主任Antoine Ripoll

Original Language Version: English (Chinese version at the end)

此号以英文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

Note: Please use "Simplified Chinese (GB2312)" encoding to view the Chinese parts of this release. If this mail does not display properly in your email program, please send your request for special delivery to us or visit:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2019/report2019-06/64commemorations190629RipollAspeechA1221-W841.htm which contains identical information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The 30th commemoration of Tiananmen Square Protests

Speech at US Congress

-- Antoine Ripoll, Director - European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington DC

Honorable Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi,

Dear Chairman Wei Jingsheng, Sakharov Prize Laureate,

Former protest leaders, democracy activists, journalists,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for your invitation today.

It honors me to be able to speak before you as a representative of the European Parliament Liaison Office here in Washington DC.

The role of commemorations is to keep alive our memory of some of the most important moments of history.

In the rush for economic prosperity, in our race to the future, we risk forgetting the moments that changed our lives forever.

Tiananmen Square was such a moment. Because even if it did not cause governments to fall or liberties to be granted, Tiananmen is equal in importance in our collective memory to all the revolutions of that historic year 1989.

More importantly, because the Tiananmen agenda, the rights and liberties demanded by many of you, are still not granted today, June 4th, 1989 remains today a rallying cry for future generations.

The young people who carry your work forward should know that human rights and individual freedoms are natural aspirations.

They are inalienable rights, as the American Declaration of Independence calls them.

For the European Union, freedoms and human rights are not simply words and ideals, they are legal obligations set out in our Charter of Fundamental Rights and in our founding treaties.

In the European Union, we take human rights as essential legal rights.

They are to be applied to all people, not only to citizens.

As the recent European elections have shown, our European public cherishes deeply the freedoms and values that are connected most closely with the European Union: individual freedoms and liberties, freedom of assembly and expression, and the idea of an ever-closer Union among the peoples of Europe.

This morning, our EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, said it was important to right the injustices connected with the events of 1989.

She expected due process for those detained then, and called for the immediate release of human rights activists and lawyers involved in Tiananmen.

The statement on behalf of the EU noted that today, we continue to observe a crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly, and freedom of the press in China.

Human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent.

These fundamental freedoms must be respected in accordance with international laws and norms.

Thus, engagement on human rights with China is, and will remain, a fundamental pillar of EU-China relations.

I thank the organizers once more for helping to bring this important piece of history to life, through the medium of photography.

In a world that accelerates and where power and influence are shifting, let us not forget the dignity of the individual, the freedoms with which we are all endowed by nature, and our aspirations for a better world.

And most importantly, let us show respect for those who gave their life for these ideals. Let us always remember the people of Tiananmen Square.

Thank you.

Related photos:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2019/newsletters2019-2/64commemorations190604RipollAspeaking-c-5.jpg

http://www.weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2019/newsletters2019-2/64commemorations190604inUScongress-c-5.jpg

http://www.weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2019/newsletters2019-2/64commemorations190604RipollAinUScongress-c-5.jpg

-----------------------------------------------------------------

This is a message from WeiJingSheng.org

The Wei Jingsheng Foundation and the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition are dedicated to the promotion of human rights and democratization in China. We appreciate your assistance and help in any means. We pledge solidarity to all who struggle for human rights and democratic governance on this planet.

You are welcome to use or distribute this release. However, please credit with this foundation and its website at: www.weijingsheng.org

Although we are unable to afford to pay royalty fees at this time, we are seeking your contribution as well. You may send your articles, comments and opinions to: HCP@weijingsheng.org. Please remember, only in text files, not in attachments.

For website issues and suggestions, you may contact our professional staff and web master at: webmaster@Weijingsheng.org

To find out more about us, please also visit our websites at:

www.WeiJingSheng.org and www.ChinaLaborUnion.org

for news and information for Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition and human rights and democracy movement as whole, especially our Chinese Labor Union Base.

You may contact Ciping Huang at: HCP@Weijingsheng.org or

Wei Jingsheng Foundation office at: 1-202-270-6980

Wei Jingsheng Foundation's postal address is:

Wei Jingsheng Foundation, P. O. Box 15449, Washington, DC 20003, USA

You are receiving this message because you had previous shown your interest in learning more about Mr. Wei Jingsheng and the Chinese Democratic Movement. To be removed from the list, simply reply this message and use "unsubscribe" as the Subject. Please allow us a few days to process your request.

*****************************************************************

中文版

Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A1221-W841

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A1221-W841

Release Date: June 29, 2019

发布日：2019年6月29日

Topic: Speech at US Congress for the 30th Commemoration of Tiananmen Square Protests -- Antoine Ripoll, Director of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington DC

标题：在美国国会发表的天安门广场抗议30周年纪念演讲 -- 欧洲议会华盛顿特区办公室主任Antoine Ripoll

Original Language Version: English (Chinese version at the end)

此号以英文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

如有中文乱码问题，请与我们联系或访问：

http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2019/report2019-06/64commemorations190629RipollAspeechA1221-W841.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------------

在美国国会发表的天安门广场抗议30周年纪念演讲

-- 欧洲议会华盛顿特区办公室主任Antoine Ripoll

2019年6月4日

尊敬的美国国会众议院议长南希佩洛西，

亲爱的萨哈沃夫奖获得者魏京生主席，

前抗议的领袖们，民主活动家们，记者们，

女士们，先生们，

谢谢你们今天的邀请。

我很荣幸能够作为欧洲议会华盛顿特区办公室的代表在此发言。

纪念活动的作用是让我们记住一些历史上最重要的时刻。

在忙于经济的繁荣之中，在我们未来的竞争中，我们有忘记那永远改变我们生命的那一刻的危险。

天安门广场的抗议就是这样一个时刻。因为即使它没有导致政府垮台或争取到自由，在我们的共同记忆中，天安门的抗议与我们那个历史性的1989年的所有革命的集体记忆一样重要。

更重要的是，因为天安门，1989年6月4日，你们许多人要求却至今还未得到的权利和自由，仍然是你们今天聚集在一起为后代们呐喊的原因。

那些将持续你们事业的年轻人应该知道人权和个人自由是自然的愿望。

正如美国独立宣言所宣告的，那是不可剥夺的权利。

就欧洲联盟而言，自由和人权不仅仅是言论和理想，那是我们的“基本权利宪章”和我们的创始条约中规定的法律义务。

在欧盟，我们将人权视为基本合法权利。

该权力适用于所有人，而不仅仅适用于公民。

正如最近的欧洲选举所表明的那样，我们的欧洲公众深深珍视与欧盟关系最密切的自由和价值观：个人自由，集会与言论自由，以及欧洲人民之间比欧盟更密切的想法。

今天上午，我们欧盟的高级代表Federica Mogherini表示，纠正与1989年事件有关的不公正是非常重要的。

她期待予当时被拘留者以正当程序，并要求立即释放与天安门事件有关的人权活动家和律师。

今天，代表欧盟的声明指出，我们继续关注中国对言论和集会自由以及新闻自由的镇压。

人权是普遍的、不可分割的和相互依存的。

必须根据国际法律和规范尊重这些基本自由。

因此，就人权与中国的接触一直是，并将继续是中欧关系的一个基本支柱。

我再次感谢组织者通过摄影媒介的帮助来重现这一重要历史。

在一个日益加速、权力和影响力正在发生变化的世界中，让我们不要忘记个人的尊严以及自然赋予我们的自由，以及我们对更美好世界的渴望。

最重要的是，让我们向那些为这些理想献身的人致敬。让我们永远记住天安门广场的人民。

谢谢。