Скачать или смотреть Tiananmen Redress Unlikely Despite Rare Tribute to Hu Yaobang

Are Chinese leaders ready to addess the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre? That was the speculation on Monday, after state-run media published articles praising a former leader known for advocating reform.

Hu Yaobang was the Secretary General of the Communist Party but was ousted in 1987 for being too liberal. He died on April 15, 1989 and his death sparked a 50-day long protest that was eventually crushed by the Chinese army. This was later known as the June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Officially, the Chinese regime denies the bloody crackdown ever happened, and talk of the Tiananmen Square protests have been made taboo. But on Monday, state-run media ran pieces highlighting Hu's career, including his push for market economy and democracy.

Analysts say though, the Communist Party is still a ways off from revisiting Tiananmen.

[Zhen Cunzhu, Student Leader, Tiananmen Square Protest]:
"Those who decided to crush the protest, like Li Peng, and also Jiang Zemin, are still in the political circle even though they have retired. So they still hold influence, and I think it's not likely that June 4th will be redressed."

While the media blackout on Hu Yaobang may have been lifted, the same can't be said for another leader ousted for sympathizing with the protestors.

Zhao Ziyang, the then Premier was put under house arrest for 15 years after objecting to the military crackdown. In articles remembering Hu Yaobang, both Zhao Ziyang's name and mentions of the Tiananmen massacre were notably missing.

[Yao Jianfu, Former Advisor to Zhao Ziyang]:
"The leadership after Tiananmen, including the successor of Jiang Zemin, will not redress the crackdown, because that amounts to admitting that they climbed to leadership illegally."

Jiang Zemin, the Party Chief of Shanghai before the Tiananmen Square protests, was eventually promoted. After supporting the military crackdown of Tiananmen Protestors he later became the leader of the Communist Party and the country's President. Analysts say Jiang maintains influence within the Communist Party even though he officially stepped down more than a decade ago.

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