Washington DC: The Chinese Liaison Officer at Office of Tibet in Washington D.C., Tsultrim Gyatso, participated in a series of commemorative events marking the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, held in New York and Washington D.C. from 1 to5 June 2026. He attended to express deep condolences and profound respect to the Chinese people who sacrificed their lives in pursuit of freedom and democracy.

On 1 June, Tsultrim Gyatso attended the seminar commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre held in New York. The seminar was jointly organised by Beijing Spring Magazine, the Chinese Alliance for Democracy, the National Committee of the Democratic Party of China, and the China Liberal Democratic Party. Conducted in a symposium format, the event brought together distinguished speakers to reflect upon and analyse three significant historical events: the 37th anniversary of the June Fourth Tiananmen Square Massacre, the 16th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, and the 60th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution.

The seminar was moderated by Dr. Yu Dahai, President of Beijing Spring Magazine, with opening remarks delivered by Hu Ping, Honorary Editor-in-Chief of the publication. Eyewitnesses and survivors of the June Fourth Incident, including Lü Jinghua, Yi Gai, Zheng Xuguang, and Zhou Fengsuo, delivered moving testimonies recounting their personal experiences during those historic events. Dozens of veteran journalists, senior political commentators, and Chinese democracy movement activists who had publicly supported the June Fourth Movement also attended the seminar, sharing their reflections and perspectives on the significance of the event.

Tsultrim Gyatso was invited to address the seminar. He noted that during the June Fourth Massacre, thousands upon thousands of Chinese students and citizens who had taken to the streets in pursuit of freedom, democracy, and reform were met with violent suppression by the Chinese Communist Party government. He observed that this historic event not only powerfully documented the Chinese people’s deep and unwavering yearning for freedom and justice, but also laid bare the profound suffering endured by Han Chinese under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party and not only Tibetans.

Tsultrim Gyatso further noted that large-scale peaceful demonstrations had erupted in Lhasa almost simultaneously around the years of June Fourth. In March 1989, Hu Jintao, then Secretary of the CCP Tibet Autonomous Region Committee, submitted a request and following which Li Peng signed an order imposing martial law in Lhasa and authorising the violent suppression of Tibetan demonstrators. He emphasised that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Liu Xiaobo, two Nobel Peace Prize laureates stand as a shared source of spiritual strength and moral inspiration for all those who pursue justice, through their steadfast commitment to freedom, human rights, and peace.

On 3 June, Tsultrim Gyatso attended the June Fourth anniversary commemoration organised by the National Endowment for Democracy. The event invited Tibetan researcher Dr. Gyalo with many other experts and eyewitnesses. Dr. Gyalo shared his perspective as a Tibetan and firsthand experiences during the 1989, providing a rare and valuable Tibetan witness to this pivotal chapter of history.

On the morning of 4 June, Tsultrim Gyatso attended the 37th anniversary commemoration organised by the U.S. House Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party. The event reflected the United States Congress’s sustained and serious concern for human rights in China and its firm and enduring support for Chinese democracy activists and all oppressed communities living under authoritarian rule.

On the evening of that day, Tsultrim Gyatso was invited to attend the candlelight vigil commemorating the Tiananmen Square Incident, organised by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. In his remarks, Tsultrim expressed sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the Foundation for its continued and unwavering support for commemorative activities and its commitment to organising the candlelight vigil year after year.

He spoke of the profound and far-reaching direction and spiritual guidance that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has provided to the Tibetan freedom movement. He also paid warm tribute to the enduring historic contribution of Liu Xiaobo to the Chinese people’s movement for freedom and democracy. Tsultrim expressed his sincere hope that the far-sighted vision and noble aspirations held by both Nobel Peace Prize laureates would ultimately prevail in the course of history.

On the morning of 5 June, Liu Jun, who had travelled to Washington D.C. specifically to attend the June Fourth commemorations, visited the Office of Tibet. He was received by Representative Namgyal Choedup for an in-depth conversation on the immense sacrifices made by both the Tibetan and Chinese peoples in their shared pursuit of freedom, building mutual understanding and solidarity between the two communities. Liu Jun is a witness during the Tiananmen Square Massacre and father to Alysa Liu, the American figure skater who won 2026 Olympic champion and 2025 World champion.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Washington DC