The general who refused to crush Tiananmen’s protesters

AS PRO-DEMOCRACY protests swelled in Beijing and cities around China in May 1989, leaders decided that only the army could put a stop to them. But one major-general, in charge of 15,000 troops told to impose martial law in the capital, objected to the order. The Chinese authorities never made this public, nor did they reveal that he was punished with (a relatively lenient) five years in prison. They prefer to gloss over what happened during those tumultuous weeks. But a recently leaked video of the general’s court-martial provides vivid insight into how—even under China’s Communist Party—compliance with the leadership’s wishes is not guaranteed.