Yuan Mu, Chinese government spokesman who said no one had been killed in Tiananmen Square, dies aged 90
- The official gained international notoriety following his defence of the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the Chinese capital in June 1989
Yuan Mu, a controversial spokesman for the Chinese government following the deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, has died at the age of 90.
Yuan, who achieved international notoriety for his defence of the government following the crushing of pro-democracy protests in the heart of Beijing, died in the capital on Thursday, according to an announcement circulating online on Monday.
A staff member at the Babaoshan Funeral parlour in Beijing confirmed to the South China Morning Post that a memorial service for Yuan has been scheduled for Sunday.
Yuan, a former State Council spokesman, was the first Chinese official to face the international spotlight – and outrage – after the People’s Liberation Army carried out the crackdown on June 4, 1989.
In a televised news conference on June 6 – the first comment from the Chinese government since the crackdown – Yuan ignited fury by claiming that only 23 students had been killed, and that less than 300 civilians and soldiers had died in total.