BEIJING: Former Chinese Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang – who was ousted after opposing the use of force to quell 1989 democracy protests – was buried on Friday (Oct 18) more than a decade after his death, said his family.
Zhao, who is a revered figure among Chinese human rights defenders, is still a sensitive topic in the country, where commemorations of his death are held under tight surveillance or prevented altogether.
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There was no mention of his burial ceremony on state media, and searching for his name on social media returned no results.
It also took 14 years for his family to lay Zhao to rest after his death on Jan 17, 2005 at the age of 85.
"Today, we have found solace," Wang Zhihua, Zhao's son-in-law, told AFP over the phone.
"After so many years and our persistence, we truly have found solace," he said, declining to elaborate on why it took so long to arrange the burial of his father-in-law's ashes.
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The burial ceremony for Zhao and his wife, Liang Boqi, took place Friday afternoon at a Beijing cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
Photos of the two were placed on stands by a simple gray headstone, where their names were carved and coloured in black ink, according to photos published by the South China Morning Post and the BBC.
Zhao was not laid to rest at the Baobashan Cemetery for revolutionary heroes and Communist Party luminaries.
"Today it was really just family and relatives," Wang said, estimating that about 20 people or fewer attended the ceremony, though others joined later.
Zhao's opposition to use deadly military force to crack down onRead More – Source
