'The circle of victims widens at every annual commemoration as those courageously seek justice for the victims of the 1989 massacre are detained or imprisoned by the authorities. The authorities' silence continues despite the growing challenges from both within and outside China,' the organisation said.

A group of mothers, 'The Tiananmen Mothers', and other relatives seeking redress and compensation for the loss of loved ones, have compiled a list of 155 dead and 65 wounded and other details of victims who ranged in age from nine to 61 years.

In their efforts to account for family members killed and injured, those brave enough to challenge the authorities have faced detention and police harassment . More recently, humanitarian donations from overseas earmarked to support the victims' families have been frozen by the authorities.

In April Su Bingxian whose son was killed in the 1989 crackdown, was detained after being given a small donation and message of support from the wife of author Edgar Snow.

People who have tried to commemorate the anniversary of the crackdown have also been targeted. Peng Cheng, an engineer, was detained on 3 June last year and assigned to a labour camp for three years for collecting signatures in support of a campaign calling on the authorities to hold an inquiry into the crackdown.

Amnesty International calls on the Chinese authorities to: grant an amnesty and release those held in connection with the 1989 protests and subsequent anniversaries; to account for all those killed and injured; to bring the perpetrators to justice and to compensate the families of those involved.

Background June 4 marks the anniversary of the massacre of hundreds of unarmed civilians in Beijing and the arrest of tens of thousands of demonstrators throughout China. Amnesty International has records of 213 people who are still imprisoned or on medical parole in connection with the 1989 protests.