--- description: Miao Deshun, the last person jailed in connection with Beijing’s 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests, may soon be released title: China Set to Free Last Remaining Tiananmen Square Protester image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt29f305fdf297580c/698891c48e06015162465b87/gettyimages-51345672.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # China Set to Free Last Remaining Jailed Tiananmen Square Protester, Reports Say  by [Charlie Campbell / Beijing](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell / Beijing Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large May 4, 2016 8:06 AM CUT  The People's Liberation Army (PLA) tanks guard a strategic Chang'an Avenue leading to Tiananmen Square June 6 1989. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) tanks guard a strategic Chang'an Avenue leading to Tiananmen Square June 6 1989.Manuel Ceneta—AFP/Getty Images  by [Charlie Campbell / Beijing](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell / Beijing Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large May 4, 2016 8:06 AM CUT The last person jailed in connection with Beijing’s 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests may soon be [released](http://duihua.org/wp/?page%5Fid=10582 "undefined"), according to a U.S.-based advocacy group. Miao Deshun, 25 at the time of his arrest, was convicted of throwing a basket at a burning People’s Liberation Army (PLA) tank during the [bloody crackdown](http://time.com/73594/china-tiananmen-square-25-years-later/?iid=sr-link10 "undefined") on the peaceful student-led demonstration. Miao was initially handed a suspended death sentence, though this was commuted to life imprisonment in 1991\. A native of Hebei province near Beijing, Miao reportedly suffers from hepatitis B and schizophrenia. He apparently hasn’t had any contact with the outside world for many years after he told his family not to visit. **Read More:** [_Tank Man at 25: Behind the Iconic Tiananmen Square Photo_](http://time.com/2822322/iconic-tiananmen-tank-man-photo/?iid=sr-link9 "undefined") According to the Dui Hua Foundation, Miao is set to be released from Beijing’s Yangqing prison on Oct. 15, after he was granted an 11-month reduction of his sentence in March. “We welcome this news, and express the hope that he will receive the care he needs to resume a normal life after spending more than half of it behind bars,” John Kamm, executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, [said](http://duihua.org/wp/?page%5Fid=10582 "undefined") in a statement. Around 1,600 Chinese people were jailed in relation to the weeks-long democracy protest. There is no official death toll, though estimates range from several hundred to as many as 3,000 people lost their lives. **Read More:** [_The Enduring Legacy of the Tiananmen Square Massacre_](http://time.com/2821826/tiananmen-square-massacre-china-anniversary/ "undefined") Any reference to the protests and subsequent crackdown is heavily censored in China, meaning many Chinese are completely unaware of what transpired. Even oblique reference to the massacre — like June 4, the date it unfurled — remains banned from Chinese search engines and social media. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4317457/china-tiananmen-square-history-chinese-communist-party-miao-deshun/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4317457/china-tiananmen-square-history-chinese-communist-party-miao-deshun/"},"headline":"China Set to Free Last Remaining Jailed Tiananmen Square Protester, Reports Say","datePublished":"2016-05-04T08:06:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:15:16.637Z","description":"Miao Deshun reportedly suffers from hepatitis B and schizophrenia","url":"https://time.com/4317457/china-tiananmen-square-history-chinese-communist-party-miao-deshun/","keywords":["History","China","Human Rights","Beijing","Chinese communist party","Tiananmen Square"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt29f305fdf297580c/698891c48e06015162465b87/gettyimages-51345672.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlie Campbell / Beijing"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt29f305fdf297580c/698891c48e06015162465b87/gettyimages-51345672.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The People's Liberation Army (PLA) tanks guard a","caption":"The People's Liberation Army (PLA) tanks guard a","creditText":"Manuel Ceneta—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4317457/china-tiananmen-square-history-chinese-communist-party-miao-deshun/","name":"China Set to Free Last Remaining Jailed Tiananmen Square Protester, Reports Say"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Tiananmen: The Legacy 25 Years Later","description":"Tiananmen: The Legacy 25 Years Later","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/zuTzxNSa/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-03T22:55:59.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zuTzxNSa.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4317457/china-tiananmen-square-history-chinese-communist-party-miao-deshun/","duration":"PT2M59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4317457/china-tiananmen-square-history-chinese-communist-party-miao-deshun/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```