The State - News from June 16, 1989

An association of Chinese students and scholars at Stanford University urged the Chinese government to guarantee the safety and free trial of those arrested in recent pro-democracy demonstrations. “We are very much concerned about the safety and freedom of innocent people who have done nothing wrong but only organized peaceful demonstrations or spoken against the Chinese government based on truth and out of their own conscience,” said an open letter from the association. The letter said, “It is apparent that some of the arrested have been sentenced to death.” Three activists were given the death penalty by Chinese officials for setting a train on fire in Shanghai.