一群香港法律工作者，對48位於天安門親歷六四事件的目擊者，取錄他們在六月四日前後的第一身經歷，忠實地紀錄下來結集成書。四十八名見證者中，記者佔二十四人，學生佔十五人，餘下九人包括商人，專業人士及遊客。他們憑藉自己的法律專業訓練，仿照錄取口供的方式，向目擊者逐一取證。每位證人均須宣誓，並出示身分證明及有關文件，確認事發時身在北京；訪問由律師主持，法律系學生記錄。編者刻意避免傳聞，只收錄第一身見聞，希望把歷史最原始的面貌保存下來。
這些提供資料的見證人大部份是毫無聯繫，但當這些資料綜合起來時，可組成一幅完整的圖像，重塑當天在天安門發生的歷史事件。經過番覆核對和謹慎翻譯後，有關聲明及證詞以中英文結集面世。
A group of Hong Kong legal professionals interviewed 48 eyewitnesses who personally experienced the June Fourth Incident in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, including students and journalists. Their first-hand accounts of the events before, during, and after 4 June were faithfully recorded and compiled into a book. Among the 48 witnesses, 24 were journalists, 15 were students, the remaining nine were businessmen, professionals and tourists.
Drawing on their legal training, the interviewers adopted an approach similar to the taking of witness statements. Each witness was interviewed individually and asked to provide evidence of their presence in Beijing at the time, including identification documents and other supporting materials. Every witness was required to make a formal declaration as to the truthfulness of their testimony. The interviews were conducted by lawyers, while law students were responsible for recording the witness statements.
The editors deliberately excluded hearsay and accepted only first-hand testimony, hoping to preserve the most original and unfiltered record of history.
Most of the witnesses who provided information were unconnected, but when combined, their accounts can form a complete picture and reconstruct the historical events that took place in Tiananmen that day. After repeated checks and careful translation, the relevant statements and testimonies were published in both Chinese and English.
