JUNE 4TH ANNIVERSARY
X TIANANMEN SQUARE
22 years ago (June 4, 1989) a peaceful
100,000-strong student-led protest in Beijing’s Tiananmen
Square caught the world’s attention when the Chinese
government cracked down with tanks and troops. Hundreds
died, up to 10,000 were injured, and widespread arrests,
trials, and executions of pro-democracy leaders followed.
Liu Xiaobo, who was awarded the 2010
Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 8, is still best known for playing
an important role in the protests and he is largely credited
with saving the lives of hundreds if not thousands of student
protesters by negotiating with Chinese soldiers to let them
leave. He is the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel
Prize of any kind while residing in China. He is the fourth
person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison
or detention.
Liu was sentenced to two years in prison
for his efforts at Tiananmen. From then until 1999 he was
in and out of labor camps, prisons, detention centers and
house arrest. In 2008, he initiated the “Charter 08”
manifesto calling for China to comply with the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Consequently, he
was again arrested and sentenced to a harsh 11 years in
prison for “inciting subversion of state power”
— even though China is a signatory of the U.N. declaration.
Liao Yiwu, one of his oldest friends,
said: “Because of him, Chinese history does not come
to a stop. After 1989, many people chose to forget what
had happened, chose to go abroad, chose to divert themselves
into doing business, or even to work with the government
– but he did not.”
Liu’s name is barely known
in China due to continued censorship. And since his win,
pressure on fellow activists has intensified, not relaxed. |
Shepard
Fairey is a contemporary artist, graphic designer, and
illustrator. He first became known for his "André
the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, in which he
appropriated images from the comedic super market tabloid
Weekly World News. His work became more widely known in
the 2008 U.S. presidential election, specifically his Barack
Obama "HOPE" poster. The Institute of Contemporary
Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most
influential street artists. His work is included in the
collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum
of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Victoria
and Albert Museum in London. Click here
to contact Mr. Fairey.
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