The last known prisoner jailed for “hooliganism” during the student-led demonstrations in Tiananmen Square has been released after 20 years in prison, a human rights group said.
But about 30 others remain in jail for their roles in the pro-democracy movement that was brutally crushed by Chinese troops and tanks in June 1989.
Liu Zhihua was one of four workers who organised a factory strike in central Hunan province to protest against the decision to send in the troops. The strike was at the state-owned Electrical Machinery Works in Xiangtan. Xiangtan was the home town of Chairman Mao Zedong.
Mr Liu, who was then 24, was among four people sentenced to heavy terms for hooliganism — a vaguely defined crime that could be used to convict people in the absence of clearer charges. It was removed from criminal law in 1997.
He was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve — effectively a life sentence.
Mr Liu was the last known prisoner still serving a sentence for hooliganism, according to the Dui Hua Foundation. His whereabouts are unknown. He is banned from leaving his home town without permission and from speaking to journalists for five years.
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