PRECIOUS FREEDOMS

On June 3, 1989, the Chinese government sent tanks, armoured vehicles, soldiers and armed police to clear Tiananmen Square, which is among the world's largest public spaces, and its periphery off protesters and bystanders. A large number of people were killed overnight and until next evening.
Thousands had gathered from across the country in the weeks leading up to the crackdown to demand political reforms, support the protests or witness what turned out to be one of the 20th century's most significant events. The Communist Party of China has since done a lot to keep any challenge to its rule, even notional, at bay.
China has witnessed a vigorous crushing of civil liberties over the past decade. India saw the freedoms of speech and faith come under strain during a similar period. While the two countries cannot be compared on this matrix, India could heed the lessons from China.
This year, the Hong Kong police detained an artist for drawing "8964"-a reference to the date of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in the air. Others were arrested for gestures such as turning on their phone torch, associated with a vigil that is no longer allowed. The commemoration is barred in China. Under a national security law following the pro-democracy protests in 2019-20, Hong Kong is being made to resemble the mainland. Thousands, mostly youth, were arrested after that. Tiananmen Mothers, an NGO of the families of students killed that summer in Beijing, are not allowed to grieve in public.
So far, the party has termed the Mao-era Cultural Revolution (1966-76) a turbulent phase. It has not acknowledged 1989 more than a “political incident”.
Maya Wang, interim China director at Human Rights Watch, a US-based global NGO, described the condition of civil liberties in today’s China as “dystopian”. “Things have gotten worse since Xi came to power in 2012,” she said. “The deepening repression is particularly significant in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.”
Denne historien er fra July 21, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 21, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på

Wheelchairs and miracles
They are sending that Tharoor fellow for the phoren bijit. Surely you know as many big words as he does, no?” asked Misser Ji, my neighbour.

I find it difficult to revisit my work
Tucked away on a narrow lane behind Chennai’s upscale Greenways Road, the Madras Talkies office exudes the same aesthetic and visual artistry as Mani Ratnam’s films. Journalists, TV crews and assistant directors crowd the front office, eager to catch a glimpse of the director a day before the release of Thug Life. The office, flooded with natural light, feels as vibrant as his work. Young staff, fashionably dressed and reminiscent of his movie characters, discuss their mentor, “Mani Sir”.

Sindoor and India's new normal
Leading one of the seven outreach groups which travelled to 33 countries to communicate India's new normal on Pakistan-backed terrorism was an eye-opening experience. I have had the honour of leading many such delegations in the past, but this one stood out.

The eighth nerve
Nothing is coming,” Aaftab said in broken English, tapping on his ear and shaking his hand to denote his loss of hearing. Fluent only in Arabic, he had travelled from Oman because he had been told that his tumour was too big and in a precarious location, and that there was a significant risk to life.

SILENT KILLER
Seventy-two countries have banned asbestos, a known carcinogen. India is not one of them

We are not another Pakistan
INTERVIEW - MAHFUJ ALAM adviser to the ministry of information and broadcasting, Bangladesh

LESSONS FROM SINDOOR
While India's military actions on May 7 and 10 were successful, it is vital to assess strategic and tactical lessons and shortcomings

Banker’s gamble
Bangladesh’s political future will depend on how well Muhammad Yunus and the interim regime he heads brave the dissent at home and pressures from abroad

Cultural weave
Tibetan Muslims in Kashmir carved out a space for themselves by blending two rich cultures, all while dealing with statelessness and economic hardship

THE CRAFT OF CALM
Anavila Misra on her new collection, a launch into home textiles and why living in a bubble has many merits