China to commemorate birthday of Hu Yaobang
China today announced plans to commemorate the birthday of late deposed leader Hu Yaobang, whose death prompted mourning that led to the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square.
The move suggests the Chinese leadership plans to rehabilitate Hu’s reputation, after he was forced to resign in 1987 as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party’s central committee.
His death in April 1989 led to pro-democracy protests by students who admired him.
Those protests were crushed by the Chinese military on the night of June 3-4, 1989, in which hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed.
“Commemorative activities marking the 90th anniversary of the birth of Hu Yaobang will be held in Beijing in mid-November,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.
“China’s central leadership will attend,” Liu said. Liu said he did not have details on the exact date of the event or which Chinese leaders would attend.
