Tiananmen mother faces lonely vigil on June 4 anniversary
Other group members continue annual tradition as campaigner reels from double family blow
Ding Zilin will face the anniversary of the June 4 crackdown on her own for the first time this year.
Ding, one of the most outspoken voices for victims of the 1989 crackdown, is reeling from the double blow of the death of her husband and daughter within months of each other late last year.
Her husband, Jiang Peikun, died aged 82 from a heart attack in September and their daughter, Jiang Wenzheng, was nearly 50 when she died in December.
“I’m sorry I can’t take your interview,” the 79-year-old said in a frail voice when approached by the South China Morning Post.
Ding Zilin: the founder of the Tiananmen Mothers
She said she was not in good shape and had just consulted a doctor about her heart problems.
We stuck to the three key principles initiated by Ding and her husband years ago
Ding was one of the founders of the Tiananmen Mothers organisation, which has campaigned for decades for a change in the government’s position on the June 4 crackdown.