Chinese pro-democracy activists and dissidents from around the world paid tributes to Bao Tong, a former official of the Communist Party (CCP) and a champion of political reforms, who died last week.
Tong, was a writer, political commentator, and activist who became the director of the Office of Political Reform of the CCP Central Committee.
He was imprisoned for opposing China’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989. He spent much of his later life in jail or under house arrest and remained a staunch critic of the CCP’s extremely repressive policies.
The Communist regime remained tightlipped on the death of Tong at the age of 90 on Nov 9. It strictly monitored the Internet to keep his passing low-key within the country.
Tong was laid to rest on Nov 14, and some of his friends and followers could send wreaths. About 100 people, including his close relatives, attended the ceremony at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on Nov 16.