How Many Really Died? Tiananmen Square Fatalities

Of all the Chinese figures the world came to know in the course of last year's tumult, the most memorable was anonymous: that wiry young man who halted a column of tanks near Tiananmen Square by simply standing in front of them. Later, human rights groups identified the man as Wang Weilin, the 19-year-old son of a Beijing factory worker. Wang was reportedly arrested soon after his brave deed and accused of being a "counterrevolutionary, a traitor and a political hooligan" who attempted to subvert members of the army. Because of the severity of the charges, it was widely feared that...

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