FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2026
A statement from the Free China Movement
Peacefully seeking democracy is not subversion. Remembering the victims and unfinished hopes of June Fourth is not a crime.
The people of China possess the same dignity and fundamental rights as every other people: freedom of conscience, speech, publication, association, and peaceful political participation. No government gains legitimacy by imprisoning citizens for exercising those rights.
The peaceful democracy movement of 1989 asked for truth, accountability, freedom, and a government responsible to the people. Decades of censorship cannot erase that history. Criminal charges labeled “subversion” cannot turn peaceful civic action into violence, nor can prison sentences make legitimate demands illegitimate.
“China’s future must not be built on fear or revenge. It must be built on truth, constitutional government, equal rights, and the peaceful transfer of political power.”
Lian Shengde, co-founder of the Free China Movement
The Free China Movement calls for:
- the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience;
- an end to the use of “subversion” charges against peaceful speech, organizing, journalism, religious practice, and commemoration;
- open access to the historical record of June Fourth and the right of families to remember publicly;
- a peaceful constitutional transition that protects human rights, representative government, and the rule of law.
These principles are not directed against China or its people. They express confidence that the Chinese people can build a free political order without violence, dictatorship, or personal rule.
We will continue to document abuses, support political prisoners, answer major developments with principled public statements, and work for a free China through peaceful means.
Media and Organizational Contact
Free China Movement
Email: contact@freechina.live
Phone: +1 (571) 895-7066
Website: freechina.live
Reporter alerts: Subscribe to receive Free China press releases.
Release ID: P5-PR-2026-001
Free China 