On this day in 1990, China released 211 prisoners who had been arrested during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. These protests, primarily led by students advocating for democratic reforms, economic change, and freedom of the press, were violently suppressed on June 4, 1989. The release of these prisoners was a significant albeit partial response to international condemnation of China’s human rights record. While it marked a slight easing of tensions, many more remained imprisoned or unaccounted for, and the event continues to be a sensitive subject in Chinese political discourse.
