Saturday, June 4, marks the 27th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre that left as many as a few thousand people dead when the Chinese Communist Party ordered the military to take out pro-democracy protests.
Ahead of the anniversary of the bloody 1989 crackdown, the regime has arrested a number of pro-democracy activists and other dissidents, according to Radio Free Asia.
The regime cracked down on demonstrators after weeks of protests from pro-democracy activists, and it exposed a deep rift within the Communist Party’s leadership. Hardline Party leaders ordered the military to implement martial law before going after protesters in Beijing.
Here are a few old photos showing the pro-democracy protesters and the ensuing crackdown in 1989:
A girl wounded during the clash between the army and students 04 June 1989 near Tiananmen Square is carried out by a cart MANUEL CENETA/AFP/Getty Images
People Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers leap over a barrier on Tiananmen Square in central Beijing 04 June 1989. CATHERINE HENRIETTE/AFP/Getty Images
An armoured personnel carrier is in flames as students put in on fire 04 June 1998 near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On the night of 03 and 04 June 1989, Tiananmen Square TOMMY CHENG/AFP/Getty Images
Chinese onlookers run away as a soldier threatens them with a gun on June 5, 1989. CATHERINE HENRIETTE/AFP/Getty Images
AP Photo/Jeff Widener
AP photo/Liu Heung Shing
MANUEL CENETA/AFP/Getty Images
AP Photo/Mark Avery
MANUEL CENETA/AFP/Getty Images
AP Photo/Jeff Widener
STF / AP
