China Executes 2; Man Gets 10 Years for TV Comments
Two more people have been executed for offenses during China’s pro-democracy upheaval, and a man who was accused of spreading rumors after he spoke to an American television crew about the military assault on Tian An Men Square was sentenced to 10 years in prison today.
An edition of the Sichuan (province) Daily, received in Beijing today, said Wang Giuyan and Zhou Xiangcheng, both peasants, were executed Saturday for taking part in riots in the provincial city of Chengdu. On June 5, thousands of people poured into the streets of Chengdu in response to the violence in the capital, setting fires, throwing rocks and ransacking shops and hotels.
At least 29 people have been executed in China since the government’s violent crackdown on the student-led movement for greater democracy.
The television news said Xiao Bin, 42, vice section chief in a rubber factory, was sentenced to a 10-year term for spreading counterrevolutionary rumors after telling an ABC television crew that 20,000 people were killed when the army fired on pro-democracy protesters and their supporters June 3-4.
During the interview with ABC, Xiao said that Tian An Men Square was covered with blood and that tanks had run over people.
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