Led by People's University professor Ding Zilin, whose only son was one of those killed, the victims and their relatives pledged to take their case to the International Court in Hague if they could not find justice in China.

More than 100 family members of June 4 victims have filed a lawsuit against top leaders -including former premier Li Peng, last party elders Deng Xiaoping and Yangshangkun- at the Supreme People's Procuratorate in May. They also demanded a criminal investigation into the military crackdown but officials rejected their claims as sheer fabrication.

Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said the Government's position was firm and absolute: "On this issue we have a clear position. We have already come to a correct conclusion. There will be no change whatsoever on this."

In Beijing, Professor Ding's husband, Jiang Peikun , said the campaigners would not give up if the procuratorate turn them down.

He said: "We will file a lawsuit at the international court in The Hague while demanding that the United Nations set a permanent court of justice to handle cases of the killing of innocent people. We want the UN to set up such a court to deal with those who commit such killings so that autocrats and killers should not be able to do it forever.

"The Nazi criminals are still being pursued by the international community even now.

"Taking this into consideration, we think that, no matter how much time has passed, the victims should have the right to charge those responsible for crimes committed since 1949."

The lawsuit accuses the Government, which was headed by then premier Li Peng , of intentionally massacring the people and calls for an investigation to "bring to justice those responsible for the crimes of the massacre".

Over the past 10 years, the June 4 victims' network has put together a list of 155 dead and 65 wounded. This year, the victims and their relatives publicised signed testimonies of 27 of their numbers. According to the testimonies, many protesters were shot in the back while fleeing.