The prospect, never very realistic, of the Chinese Communist Party reversing its controversial verdict that the student-led demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989 amounted to revolutionary turmoil was bluntly dismissed yesterday by the Chinese Justice Minister, Mr Xiao Yang. A day after the 15th Communist Party Congress received a dramatic appeal for a rethink of the events of 1989 from the former party chief, Mr Zhao Ziyang, the justice minister said: "The party and the people have already arrived at a correct judgment of that incident [1989] and there's no changing that."
Speaking on the fringe of the Communist Party Congress in Beijing, Mr Xiao also played down speculation that the imprisoned dissidents, Wang Dan and Wei Jingshen, would be released on medical grounds following pleas by their families.
Relatives of those killed by the People's Liberation Army in and around Tiananmen Square on June 4th, 1989, have pressed for a reassessment of the party's verdict that they were guilty of "counterrevolutionary rebellion" which had to be put down by force.
This is the first Communist Party Congress since the death in February of the one-time paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, who gave the go-ahead for the military crackdown. While he was alive the reopening of the Tiananmen question could not be contemplated.
While restating the party line, Mr Xiao avoided using the word "counter-revolutionary". He said, however: "The party and government have already handled correctly the incident and unrest that occurred in the spring and summer of 1989, thus ensuring the long-term stability of China."
The justice minister was speaking at a press conference to hail major progress in China's "democratic and legal constructions".
Mr Zhao Ziyang was sacked as Communist Party secretary in 1989 after sympathising with the students and has not appeared in public since. An open letter bearing his name was circulated at the five-yearly congress, pleading with delegates to "seek truth from facts" with regard to the crackdown.
The author argued that the suppression of the pro-democracy movement had contaminated relations with the masses and with Taiwan, and created a negative international environment for opening-up and reform.
Mr Xiao did not comment on the authenticity of the letter when it was raised at the press conference but, in the absence of a denial from party leaders, the belief is gaining ground that it is indeed genuine. Mr Zhao is under house arrest and not accessible to the foreign media.
No mention of the letter has appeared in the officially-controlled Chinese press. The justice minister was also asked if the recent decision of the party that the former Beijing party chief, Mr Chen Xitong, was a "crook and a liar" meant that the credibility of Mr Chen's hardline report on the 1989 events had been undermined.
Mr Chen was dismissed from the party last week, two years after resigning over a scandal which drove the city's vice-mayor to suicide, and now faces criminal charges of corruption.
Mr Xiao said the former Beijing party boss had been charged by prosecutors with squandering a large amount of public funds and taking a lot of valuables. Nevertheless, the judgment on 1989 was not something which related to Mr Chen as an individual.
The Zhao letter is bound to have caused unease within the communist leadership, which prizes absolute unity in public, and there were reports that party elders have asked for it to be discussed at the closed-door congress before it ends tomorrow.
The mother of a student killed in 1989 said yesterday that Mr Zhao's appeal was too little, too late, and said bereaved relatives had three demands: a new inquiry, legal proceedings against those responsible for the crackdown, and the rehabilitation of those who died, along with compensation.
Ms Ding Zilin, an associate professor of philosophy who petitioned the Chinese parliament in the spring for a new verdict, has published a book containing the names of 150 victims of the bloodshed, including her 17-yearold son, Jiang Jielian. She said that Mr Zhao should have stood up earlier to speak. This was his responsibility, and the people were waiting.
However, Ms Ding added: "But he has finally spoken and, even though this is a little late, it is better than not at all."
A call for a review of the 1989 events and a move towards democracy was also made last week by a prominent Shanghai dissident, Mr Bao Ge. Yesterday his mother, Ms Wang Liufang, wrote to President Jiang Zemin pleading for an end to what she called official harassment of her son. She said Mr Bao has been unable to work since his release in June from a labour camp because he was denied identification papers.
"I plead with you to protect our right to exist. Do not force us onto the road to death," she wrote.
Asked about the health of Wang Dan (27), a student leader in 1989 who is serving 11 years for subversion, the minister for justice told reporters he had had throat problems but his health was now quite good, so he did not meet the conditions for medical parole.