@ rrh )@ @ @ but he is the noblest messenger. [speaking chinese] [applause] [speaking chinese]

? >> i'll finish the plans lation now. even though there have been countless heroes in the 20th century, none can compare to the bravery and sacrificial spirit the unknown rebel, our friend here, has demonstrated. using only his body, he calmly and bravely conveyed a statement to the brutal rulers, please stop. do not use your tanks and your guns against this unarmed and powerless students and citizens of beijing. it's unsurpassed in the 20th century and we're proud he is from china.

though he has never received any award, it is inconsequential, for he will continue to receive praise from generations to come and that is not bound by nationality and that is the highest praise of all. she also asked me in her email what has the unknown rebel done for the world. i answered, he has set an example for humanity and he has shown us that peace is far more powerful than any tanks or violence. when conshe knowable men in all humanity witness that scene, no one, no one -- look at that, tell me, do you notice the tanks? instead all we will notice is the power of that one man. what we know is that he, a mere mortal man, and the righteousness that symbolizes are far more powerful than any tanks or weapons. in conclusion, i would like to reiterate that justice is far

more powerful than violence and that peace will triumph violence. our mission is to severely punish the corrupt officials in china, to end the chinese communist one party authoritarian regime and create the third republic. we firmly believe that we, the chinese people, will one day live in an era which respects freedom, democracy, and human rights. thank you very much. [applause] >> mr. kumar of amnesty international. you are here? could you come forward to the stage, please? kumar? kumar of amnesty international?

>> i'm sorry, mr. kumar is not here at this time. may i ask mr. tashi. mr. tang to come forward now to read the statement of his holiness, the dalai lama. i know that they're here. they're just coming through the crowd now. . . .

thank you, we will now have the statement from his holiness, the dalai lama be read in english by the vice-president of the international campaign for tibet. it will be read in chinese by mr. kumatashi, from the office of tibet north america. thank you. [applause] [speaking chinese]

[speaking chinese] [speaking chinese]

[speaking chinese] [applause] >> it is my pleasure and honor to read his holiness, the dlai -- dalai lama's statement.

on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the tenements where student democracy movement -- cannon in square student democracy movement, i respectfully honor all those who died expressing the demand for the government to be more accountable to its people. the students involved in the teen and then-- in the movement or not anti-social list. they were speaking out indifference to the chinese people oppose the constitutional rights in favor of democracy, and taking a stand against corruption. conform to the underlying belief, the governor's got -- this was confidently stated by the to party chief. the upcoming anniversary of the founding of the people's republic of china represents a

great opportunity to the -- to review the events of june 4 no, 1989. today, it is a global economic power poised to become a superpower. it is my hope that the chinese leaders have the courage and farsightedness to embrace more truly egalitarian issues and a policy of greater accommodation and tolerance. a policy of openness and realism can lead to greater trust and harmony within china and enhance its international standing as a truly great nation. the dollar llama, june 4, 2009. -- dalai lama, june 4, 2009. [applause] >> thank you very much.

as a key to his holiness, the dalai lama. i am pleased to call to the podium the congresswoman from the state of florida. she is very passionate in the cause of human rights, and we forgive her for not bringing some florida sunshine for us this morning. >> thank you so much, dr. lee, representatives of human rights organizations, ladies and gentlemen. at the turn of the last century, those who were yearning to breathe free turned their gaze to a towering lady who lifted a bright torch high above her head. she stood proudly at the entrance of a great american city, pointing the way to liberty for the expected masses below. exactly two decades ago today, a second towering lady lifted another torture above another expectant crowd. this was the goddess of

democracy of beijing. art students made her out of youthful idealism, and she soon emerged on television screens around the world as the symbol of hope for the people of china. the students who created the statue announced its unveiling. today, and the people's square, the goddess stands tall and announces to the whole world, a consciousness of democracy has awakened among the chinese people. the new era has begun. her awesome presence in the center of china struck fear in the hearts of the cruel men who ruled with an iron fist. she was pointing the way to freedom, and the dawn of a new day for those gathered in tianenmen square . in the early hours of june 4,

1989, the midsummer night's dream of the goddess of democracy was cruelly shattered by tanks entering the square. chinese troops turned bandits and weapons against their own people. the statue had stood for only five days before being reduced to rubble by the invading forces. some in the crowd fled. others were cut down by bullets, their blood staining be hollowed stones of the square where previous generations of chinese students had petitioned both emperors and warlords for justice and for human rights. the dream of a new democratic china seemed as dead as the markers. we cannot forget the faces of those dead citizens who gave their lives for democracy in china. we cannot let their dream die. we cannot forget the mothers who have battled against impossible odds to help keep hope alive.

we cannot forget that the wealth of communist china has been purchased by the sweat of slave labor in camps throughout the land. we cannot forget the many persecuted, the underground church members, the journalists struggling for free press, the practitioners, the people of taiwan, the people of tibet, the north koreans, the refugees. we cannot let their dreams die. we cannot let -- for get our american journalists who face trial today on charges in china's state of north korea. they were taken captive on the chinese border almost three months ago. we cannot let their dreams die. the goddess of democracy, her torch held high, still points the way. china, she is waiting to guide

you to freedom. thank you so much. [applause] >> sir, may i introduce the next speaker now? thank you. it is great to live in a democracy, isn't it? [applause] in the spirit of democracy, let's hear from another person right now. a man that i like to call my friend. a man who has been a staple here in the cause for human rights in

washington d.c. and around the world. mr.@@@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [applause] thank you jim. it is indeed a pleasure for an international to be here, shoulder to shoulder, to remember the victims of to womenswear. -- of tea in a men's wear -- of the massacre in the square. people in china can't remember their loved ones. people in china can't even speak up about what atrocities took place 20 years ago. 20 years ago, chinese government killed hundreds if not thousands. they did not kill someone from outside, a war or anything.

they killed their own children. they killed their own children in hundreds, imprisoned them for one mistake they did. they rose up and asked for freedom and expression. for that mistake, tanks rolled in tiananmen square, killing took place, and above all, family members who wanted to cry, who wanted to mourn, were silenced. they had been silenced for the last 20 years. that is why we are here today. to give the voice to the chinese mothers, parents, brothers, and sisters who can't cry for their own loved ones. we're here to say, we are with you. we will never forget.

we will raise a voice for your staff. [applause] we're also here to tell the chinese government that whatever you do, however powerful you may be, you could become the world's economic giant. but what you did 20 years ago will never be forgotten. you have destroyed your young and brightest. you have shamed yourself for killing your own. we're here to ask for justice for those who were killed. by asking for justice, we're urging the international community to pressure, and other issues in front of -- the other

important issues. and to not compromise human rights. that is why we are disappointed that the international community is not standing up to find justice for the victims of tiananmen square , even 20 years after. we need more powerful statements coming from the white house to hold people accountable. in january, president obama was here in this area. he was taking his oath as a historic event to be the first african-american to become the president. his statement mentioned it democracy and freedom. but his own statement was censored by the chinese in their country. to this day, we did not hear president obama object to that. it is not only president obama's

voice that was silenced in china. it was the chinese people's voice that has been silenced in china. let us hope and work together that we will, at one point, find a time where families will be able to cry and to mourn for their own in china. they will find justice to what happened 20 years ago. we will never forget the victims and the suffering of the families. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, kumar. but like to now give the podium

to dr. lee who will introduce the speaker of the u.s. house of representatives, miss nancy pelosi. >> before the speaker arrives, i would call someone else to the stage. mr. lee, chai ling? tashi? may we stand on stage and wait for the speaker to come.

[applause]

>> speaker of the united states house of representatives, nancy pelosi is, in the words of president barack obama, an extraordinary leader for the american people. in the past 20 years, she has

been the most consistent and outspoken supporter of human rights in china and around the world. recently in shanghai, she said, she would continue to speak for human rights in china and around the world. now, let's welcome the hon. speaker, nancy pelosi. [applause] >> thank you. good afternoon. i think it is now afternoon. thank you very much. thank you for bringing us together this morning and this afternoon. words failed to adequately tell you what an honor it is to be on the same stage and in the presence of so many of the

heroes of june 4. to have a message at the same time from his holiness, the dalai lama in solidarity for more openness in china and tibet. we stand here in front of the capital of the united states, a beacon of freedom to the world with a great history of free speech and open discussion. on this side of the capital, we stand with people who tk to heart and to mind the words of our founders, that in our declaration of independence and our constitution, our words that talked about every person being equal and endowed by their creator. in doubt by their creator, but not by the state -- and doubt by

their creator, not by the state for life, the lip -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. some people paid that price tiananmen square . they paid for their lives and their liberty. this week, there are also observances in eastern europe about freedom emerging there at this time 20 years ago. for those of you who are old enough to remember, you would have seen that the students gathered in the square in may and in the days leading up to june 4, were inspiration to the world. to the world. they inspired others to have the courage, and they had a drum beat of liberty and freedom that was felt around the world.

what they wanted was dialogue with their government on openness and freedom, and freedom of speech and religion, the ending of corruption in china. they wanted that dialogue. they wanted that conversation. what they got was crushed. crushed. some of those people crushed in the square, and another streets of beijing. but they could not crush, they could not crush the spirit of tiananmen. that is why it is important that 20 years later, i remember meeting dr. ling in paris. she was nearly escape from china, so proud of her, so courageous. and so many other heroes of that movement.

many of them, when they got out of china, signed my man before the tank poster in my office, which is getting old now. but i am very proud of the signatures that are on there. there the signatures to a declaration of freedom. what this freedom mean? it means openness, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, accountability, rule of law according to the chinese constitution. so what is important for us to do now? who would have ever thought, all of you here that have gathered some great leaders for democracy, who would have ever thought that 20 years later, we would still be in this situation? at the same tower this that inspired -- the same cowardice that insisted that the regime

crust -- crushed the people in the square, the same cowardice that did that, that same fear of the people exists in china today. we were told 20 years ago that peaceful evolution, economic reform would lead to political reform. and indeed, the economic reform has occurred. i was so pleased that secretary clinton said in a statement that china has made enormous progress economically. i saw that last week in china. she also said that a china that has made all the progress should examine openly the dark events of its past and provide a public accounting of those killed or missing both to learn and to heal. we need to do that as we go

forward. i also want to reference a speech made by president obama in egypt today. i guess it was last night. he said this. president obama made a fabulous -- a very excellent speech. this is what he said there. but i do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things. the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how your government, confidence and the rule of law and equal administration of justice, government that is transparent and does not steal from the people, the freedom to live as you choose. those are not just american ideas. they are human rights. that is why we will support them everywhere. that is what the president said in egypt, looking out to the muslim world.