A father of a 22-year old man killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident has hanged himself in protest of the two-decade silence from the Chinese government, a sign of its refusal to address the issue, support group Tiananmen Mothers said.
73-year old Ya Weilin’s body was found in an abandoned underground parking garage below his apartment in Beijing. Ya wrote a suicide note recalling the details of his son’s death and revealed his intention because the government refused to give redress. The Tiananmen Mothers called for full investigation, compensation for families of victims and punishment for those responsible. The government kept their silence – nothing was written in school textbooks and internet searches on the incident was blocked.
With the approaching anniversary of the incident, Hong Kong activists marched through the city to commemorate the democracy protest that ended with hundred deaths.
