On 35th anniversary of Tiananmen, Circle 19 group launches landmark manifesto for the right to information in China

Organisation:

RSF_en

In the spirit of resistance that has persisted 35 years after the Tiananmen movement, the Circle 19 independent group of Chinese media experts, supported by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has published a groundbreaking new Statement of Principles. This landmark manifesto outlines the importance of the right to information as an integral part of Chinese legacy – contrary to the narrative of the Beijing regime – and urges support for the effective exercise of this vital right in the People’s Republic of China.

On 4 June, 35 years after the Tiananmen Square massacre, Circle 19 for the Right to Information in China, an independent group supported by RSF, has released its Statement of Principles, a document reaffirming support for the effective exercise of the right to information in the People's Republic of China, a right that was at the heart of the demands of the Tiananmen movement that was bloodily suppressed in June 1989 by the Chinese regime.

The Statement of Principles, which points out that the right to information is an integral part of China's legacy and is paramount to the country's future development, has been endorsed by RSF, as one of 53 supporting NGOs.

Circle 19 participant, award-winning journalist and curator of the June 4th Museum of Memory and Human Rights Chang Ping expects the group “to tackle the CCP's propaganda machine and make a significant contribution to change in China.” For his part, Circle 19 participant and China Digital Times founder and director Xiao Qiang, states that “the world must oppose the denial of citizens’ right to information in China that strips them of their dignity.”

“Despite the persistent efforts of the Beijing regime to stamp out dissent and control information, the spirit of resistance that continues 35 years after the Tiananmen movement demonstrates the fight for the right to information that still exists in China to this day. RSF has supported the formation of the Circle 19 group and the launch of this groundbreaking new Statement of Principles for precisely this reason. We commend the efforts of this courageous group and urge the international community to support their vital initiative, for the effective exercise of the right to information within China but also global freedom of information.

Rebecca Vincent

RSF Director of Campaigns

Circle 19 is an independent group composed of around 30 media practitioners and experts from the Chinese diaspora and the international community, that advocates for the right to information on the basis of Chinese intellectual sources. “Circle 19” refers to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In September 2023, the group held its inaugural symposium in Paris.

Through its groundbreaking new manifesto, Circle 19 aims to become a point of reference and inspiration for academics, human rights advocates, and policymakers. The group’s long-term objective is to empower the Chinese public with intellectual resources related to the right to information in the People’s Republic of China.

Ranked 172nd out of 180 countries and territories surveyed, China lies at the bottom of RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index and is the world's largest jailer of journalists, with at least 119 currently detained.

List of NGOs and think tanks endorsing Circle 19’s Statement of Principles: