Dui Hua has recently obtained information from governmental and non-governmental sources on nine political prisoners convicted of crimes for their participation in protests that erupted in Beijing on June 4, 1989. On that day, troops were ordered into the city to impose martial law and end the more than six weeks of peaceful anti-government demonstrations that had been taking place. Five of these June Fourth prisoners remain incarcerated today, and several are suffering from serious physical or psychological conditions that led to their transfer to Yanqing Prison, Beijing’s special facility for the “old, sick, and infirm.” Although all were originally sentenced to life imprisonment or suspended death sentences, each has had his sentence commuted to a fixed term.
Earlier this year, Dui Hua estimated that approximately 30 June Fourth prisoners were still serving sentences for offenses committed in the spring of 1989. Based on information obtained about prisoners being held in Beijing, Hunan, and Shaanxi, Dui Hua now believes that there are roughly 20 prisoners who remain incarcerated for crimes committed during that period:
Chang Jingqiang (常景强), sometimes mistakenly referred to as Xi Jingqiang, was only 20 years old when he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “counterrevolutionary assault” for allegedly beating a military policeman during the June Fourth protests. His sentence was commuted to 19 years’ imprisonment on June 24, 1993, and he received five more sentence reductions for good behavior before being released from Beijing Number Two Prison on July 23, 2009.
Jiang Yaqun (姜亚群) was 50 years old when he was given a suspended death sentence on charges of “counterrevolutionary sabotage” for his participation in the protests. In 1992, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Three years later, on November 24, 1995, his sentence was reduced to 19½ years’ imprisonment. According to official information provided to Dui Hua, Jiang was diagnosed with “mild mental retardation” and is now incarcerated in Yanqing Prison. After receiving three additional sentence reductions, he is now due for release on October 23, 2013.
Li Yujun (李玉君) was 26 years old when he allegedly set fire to a military vehicle in resistance to the military occupation of Beijing. Sentenced to death, suspended for two years, on charges of arson, Li was granted a commutation to life imprisonment in 1993. This sentence was again commuted to 20 years’ imprisonment on November 11, 1996. Li has received five more sentence reductions, and he is scheduled to be released on November 10, 2014.
Miao Deshun (苗德顺) was 25 years old when he was arrested on arson charges in connection with the protests. He was sentenced to death, suspended for two years, and sent to Beijing Number One Prison. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on December 21, 1991, following which he was transferred to Beijing Number Two Prison. His life sentence was then commuted to 20 years’ imprisonment on September 16, 1998. Fellow prisoners recall that Miao strongly resisted admitting guilt and was frequently beaten by guards. According to official information received by Dui Hua, Miao was placed in solitary confinement for a period in 1997 for committing self-mutilation, and he is acknowledged to suffer from unspecified mental illness. In April 2003, he was transferred to Yanqing Prison. As he has never received another sentence reduction since his sentence was commuted to a fixed term, his sentence is due to expire on September 15, 2018.
Song Kai (宋凯) was part of a group of Beijing residents who allegedly attacked a soldier aboard a military ambulance that had been intercepted just outside of People’s Hospital. According to unofficial sources, Song placed a water barrel over the soldier’s head in order to protect him from being beaten to death, and he later turned himself in to police. After being taken into custody, he was allegedly beaten so badly by soldiers that he developed permanent back injuries and had difficulty walking. Sentenced to life imprisonment for “counterrevolutionary assault,” Song’s sentence was commuted to 17 years’ imprisonment on April 26, 1993. He was transferred to Yanqing Prison in 1998 and received five more sentence reductions before being released on September 25, 2007.
Wang Yan (王巘), sometimes mistakenly referred to as Wang Xian, was 21 years old when charged with arson in connection with the protests and sentenced to life imprisonment. While in Beijing Number Two Prison, his sentence was commuted to 16 years’ imprisonment on November 9, 1992. After four more sentence reductions, Wang was released from prison on February 8, 2002.
Yang Pu (杨璞) was sentenced in January 1990 to death, suspended for two years, on charges of arson. The 25-year-old was first imprisoned in Beijing Number One Prison and then transferred to Beijing Number Two Prison in December 1990. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1992 and reduced again to 19½ years’ imprisonment in 1995. He was reportedly diagnosed with bone tuberculosis in 1993, after which he was transferred to Yanqing Prison. Despite not being able to carry out manual labor because of his illness—and thus losing opportunities to earn points that could help him shorten his time in prison—Yang received four sentence reductions and is due for release on October 24, 2011.
Zhu Gengsheng (朱更生) was 23 years old when he was sentenced to death for “counterrevolutionary sabotage” in connection with his resistance to the military occupation of Beijing. Seen in widely broadcast film footage, shouting “We won!” as he waved a flag from on top of a burned-out tank, Zhu’s death sentence was later suspended for two years after intervention by the Supreme People’s Court. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1994 and then to a 19-year prison term in 1997. He has since received five more sentence reductions for good behavior. He is imprisoned in Beijing Number Two Prison and is scheduled to be released on April 19, 2012.
Zhu Wenyi (朱文义) was 28 when he allegedly set fire to a bus in an effort to block martial law troops attempting to enter the city. He was given a suspended death sentence on October 26, 1989, and began serving his sentence in Beijing Number Two Prison in 1990. His sentence was commuted to 20 years’ imprisonment in the early 1990s (probably upon expiration of his two-year reprieve), and his sentence was reduced five more times for good behavior. He was released on parole on January 25, 2005, and his parole probation period expired on October 9, 2007. He is believed to be serving a “supplementary sentence” of deprivation of political rights for an unknown period.