Mysterious death of an activist abroad

En route to Paris, Zhang Jian, a former student participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, passed away suddenly in Munich on April 23.

After boarding a flight from Omar to Paris, Zhang suffered severe health complications, and the aircraft landed in Munich so he could be rushed to a hospital, where doctors before performed emergency rescue procedures on him. Despite their efforts, Zhang died.

Before news of his death had been confirmed, Zhang went missing in Thailand, and it is not known who he met with or whether or not anyone there contributed to his death.

Luckily, an autopsy was conducted on the body. Although the doctor initially ruled that the cause of death was unknown, a spokesperson for a prosecutor's office handling the case said he had died of poisoning.

Following the protests in 1989, Zhang remained incognito for 12 years, moving from place to place. He resurfaced in the public eye in 2001, when he participated in an event protecting the rights of Beijing taxi drivers. In May of that year, he fled to France, where he obtained asylum.

Zhang had also been actively involved in overseas democratic movements.

Since leaving China, he had never had the opportunity to return—something he mourned deeply. In a song he wrote titled “I Stand at the Door of Home,” he says, “In the sunset, in wisps of smoke, the appearance of my hometown reverberates in my mind. There are laughter and tears … only love is my faithful companion.”