A long thread on #TiananmenSquare Massacre: The Ugly and Brutal Face of Communism in #China on June 4, 1989
What exactly led to the peaceful protestors in China exactly 32 years ago?
Read till the end…
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#TiananmenSquareMassacre
What exactly led to the peaceful protestors in China exactly 32 years ago?
Read till the end…
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#TiananmenSquareMassacre
Tiananmen Square is located in the center of Beijing, the capital of China.
Tiananmen means "gate of heavenly peace."
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Tiananmen means "gate of heavenly peace."
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April 15, 1989 - Hu Yaobang, a former Communist Party leader, died. Hu was a symbol of an open political system and democratic reforms.
April 18, 1989: Post his death, 1000s of mourning students march through the capital to Tiananmen Square, a walk towards democracy.
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April 18, 1989: Post his death, 1000s of mourning students march through the capital to Tiananmen Square, a walk towards democracy.
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In the weeks that followed, 1000s of people join the students to protest against China's Communist rulers.
May 13, 1989 - More than 100 students begin a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square.
The number increases to several thousand over the next few days.
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May 13, 1989 - More than 100 students begin a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square.
The number increases to several thousand over the next few days.
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May 19, 1989 - A rally at Tiananmen Square drew an estimated 1.2 million people.
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (#CCPChina) Zhao Ziyang appeared at the rally and pleads for an end to the demonstrations.
May 19, 1989 - Premier Li Peng imposes martial law.
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General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (#CCPChina) Zhao Ziyang appeared at the rally and pleads for an end to the demonstrations.
May 19, 1989 - Premier Li Peng imposes martial law.
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June 1, 1989 - China halts live American news telecasts in Beijing, including CNN.
Also reporters were prohibited from photographing or videotaping any of the demonstrations or Chinese troops.
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Also reporters were prohibited from photographing or videotaping any of the demonstrations or Chinese troops.
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June 2, 1989 - A reported 100,000 people attend a concert in Tiananmen Square by singer Hou Dejian, in support of the demonstrators.
June 4, 1989 - At about 1 a.m. Chinese troops reach Tiananmen Square.
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June 4, 1989 - At about 1 a.m. Chinese troops reach Tiananmen Square.
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Throughout the day, Chinese troops fired on civilians and students, ending the demonstrations.
An official death toll was never released.
It is estimated that 10,000 protesters were brutally killed in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Most of them were pro-democracy students.
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An official death toll was never released.
It is estimated that 10,000 protesters were brutally killed in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Most of them were pro-democracy students.
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June 5, 1989 - An unidentified man stood alone in the street, blocking a column of Chinese tanks. He remains there for several minutes before being pulled away by onlookers.
June 5, 1999 - Approximately 70,000 people in Hong Kong take part in a memorial vigil.
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June 5, 1999 - Approximately 70,000 people in Hong Kong take part in a memorial vigil.
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June 1, 1999 - The National Security Archive publish "Tiananmen Square, 1989: The Declassified History."
The archive includes US State Department documents related to the events that took place during the demonstrations.
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The archive includes US State Department documents related to the events that took place during the demonstrations.
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January 2001 - Two Chinese scholars publish "The Tiananmen Papers" amid controversy
The papers are presented as a collection of internal government documents including transcriptions of notes, speeches, meeting minutes and eyewitness accounts of the historical disaster.
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The papers are presented as a collection of internal government documents including transcriptions of notes, speeches, meeting minutes and eyewitness accounts of the historical disaster.
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The Chinese government call the papers fabricated material.
February 2006 - Former journalist Yu Dongyue is released from prison after serving 17 years. He was arrested during the Tiananmen Square protests for throwing paint at a portrait of Mao Zedong.
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February 2006 - Former journalist Yu Dongyue is released from prison after serving 17 years. He was arrested during the Tiananmen Square protests for throwing paint at a portrait of Mao Zedong.
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June 4, 2009 - Tens of thousands of people commemorate the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square at a gathering in Hong Kong.
In Beijing, journalists are barred from the square while the government blocks foreign news sites and Twitter.
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In Beijing, journalists are barred from the square while the government blocks foreign news sites and Twitter.
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April 2011 - The National Museum of China in Tiananmen Square was newly renovated and open to the public.
Sadly, the building contains no exhibits mentioning the events of June 1989.
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Sadly, the building contains no exhibits mentioning the events of June 1989.
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2012 - Wuer Kaixi, one of the organizers of the Tiananmen Square protest, attempts to return to China by turning himself over to the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC. The embassy does not answer the door.
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June 3, 2015 - Twenty-six years after the uprising in Tiananmen Square, a State Department Spokesperson issues a statement calling for the release of those still serving "Tiananmen-related sentences."
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October 15, 2016 - China was set to release Miao Deshun, the last known prisoner of the uprising, according to Dui Hua, a San Francisco-based human rights organization.
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June 4, 2021: Hong Kong media report that the organizer of an annual candlelight vigil in memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown has been arrested on the anniversary.
The crackdown on peaceful protests and freedom of speech continues in China.....
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The crackdown on peaceful protests and freedom of speech continues in China.....
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Some powerful pictures from June 4, 1989
Tank Man👇
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Tank Man👇
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Thread Ends#
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