Goddess of Democracy at Congress on Tiananmen anniversary

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Against the backdrop of a Goddess of Democracy statue, US lawmakers, human rights groups and dissidents converged on Capitol Hill Wednesday to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square bloody massacre, calling for the release of all political prisoners in China.

"Today we remember the heroes of Tiananmen and call for the release of all political prisoners in China -- all political prisoners in China," said Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, as the midday sun shone on the 15-foot (4.6-meter) all-white statue in front of her.

It was a replica of the giant 33-foot (10-meter) Goddess of Democracy statue built by Chinese students out of styrofoam and papier-mache during the Tiananmen Square freedom protests that drew the fury of the...