Former Chinese Premiere Li Peng, who ordered martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen protests, has died aged 90.
Li, best known as the “Butcher of Beijing” for his role in the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, died of an unspecified illness on Monday.
Soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the crackdown. Li defended his actions, saying it was a “necessary” step.
Li’s declaration of martial law over parts of Beijing on national television in the weeks before tanks and troops swept the square of protesters made him one of the most prominent faces of a crackdown that continues to colour global perception of China's Communist Party leadership.
The death toll given by officials days after the incident in 1989 was about 300, most of them soldiers, with only 23 students confirmed killed.
China has never provided a full accounting of the violence, but rights groups and witnesses say the figure could run into the thousands.
The topic is taboo in China.
The former premiere served in several top positions in China in the 80s and 90s.
His death comes as China grapples with a widening political crisis in Hong Kong, where violent protests have been breaking out in the Chinese-controlled territory over a controversial extradition bill.
