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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Chinese democracy activist Fang Lizhi dies in US | Chinese democracy activist Fang Lizhi dies in US |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Fang Lizhi, the Chinese academic and dissident who inspired the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, has died at the age of 76 in the US. | Fang Lizhi, the Chinese academic and dissident who inspired the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, has died at the age of 76 in the US. |
| Fellow revolutionist Wang Dan, who topped a list of 21 most-wanted student leaders in 1989, confirmed his friend's death in Tucson, Arizona, via Facebook and Twitter. | Fellow revolutionist Wang Dan, who topped a list of 21 most-wanted student leaders in 1989, confirmed his friend's death in Tucson, Arizona, via Facebook and Twitter. |
| Wang said Fang had "inspired the 89 generation and awoke in the people their yearning for human rights and democracy". | |
| He added: "At this moment, no words can express my grief. Fang Lizhi has inspired the '89 generation and has awakened the people's yearning for human rights and democracy." | He added: "At this moment, no words can express my grief. Fang Lizhi has inspired the '89 generation and has awakened the people's yearning for human rights and democracy." |
| Fang was labelled the "grand puppet-master" by the Communist regime, which blamed him for the demonstration on the 4 June 1989, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. | |
| He was dismissed from the Communist party and removed from his post at the University of Science and Technology. | He was dismissed from the Communist party and removed from his post at the University of Science and Technology. |
| Fang and his wife sought refuge in the US embassy in Beijing for over a year after the army crushed the pro-democracy protesters. China then accused them of counter-revolutionary crimes, tantamount to treason. | Fang and his wife sought refuge in the US embassy in Beijing for over a year after the army crushed the pro-democracy protesters. China then accused them of counter-revolutionary crimes, tantamount to treason. |
| The academic had no public role in the protests, but decided to seek shelter after pro-government supporters burned effigies of him. The authorities issued warrants for the arrest of him and other "liberalised intellectuals", which would almost certainly have led to a death penalty. | The academic had no public role in the protests, but decided to seek shelter after pro-government supporters burned effigies of him. The authorities issued warrants for the arrest of him and other "liberalised intellectuals", which would almost certainly have led to a death penalty. |
| In June 1990, in a concession to Washington, Beijing allowed Lizhi to leave China to seek medical treatment abroad. China said the couple had shown "signs of repentance". They never returned. | In June 1990, in a concession to Washington, Beijing allowed Lizhi to leave China to seek medical treatment abroad. China said the couple had shown "signs of repentance". They never returned. |
| A collection of Fang's writings and speeches, Bringing Down the Great Wall: Writings on Science, Culture, and Democracy in China, was published in 1991. | A collection of Fang's writings and speeches, Bringing Down the Great Wall: Writings on Science, Culture, and Democracy in China, was published in 1991. |