Secret Tiananmen Trial Video Surfaces After 34 Years

In 1989, as the Tiananmen Square protests swept across Beijing, the Chinese military ordered its elite 38th Group Army into the capital to enforce martial law. But its commander, Major General Xu Qinxian, refused to sign the mobilization order—an unprecedented act of defiance within the People’s Liberation Army. He was later dismissed from his post and secretly sentenced.

On Nov. 25, Tiananmen witness and researcher Wu Renhua—formerly a lecturer at China University of Political Science and Law—released the full recording of Xu’s military trial for the first time on X. The footage runs six hours, three minutes, and forty-four seconds. Wu initially uploaded it to the Internet Archive, though the file was removed soon afterward. Copies have since re-emerged on YouTube.

The footage appears online

Wu Renhua described the recording as “the most important material” he has uncovered in more than thirty years of studying the Tiananmen movement.He wrote: “This recording was extremely difficult to obtain and involved significant political risk. The Beijing Military Region Military Court held a secret trial, and the presiding judge said on record: ‘This case involves state secrets.’ To this day, all materials related to Xu Qinxian’s trial remain classified.”

Two weeks before the release, Wu unexpectedly received the full footage. The provider made only one request: never reveal the source.

Earlier, on Nov. 16, Wu had posted still images from the trial along with a brief summary of Xu’s actions in 1989.

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He noted that Xu, hospitalized in Beijing during the protests, witnessed the student movement firsthand. At a May 17 operational meeting of the Beijing Military Region, an order—signed by CMC Chairman Deng Xiaoping and Vice Chairman Yang Shangkun—to deploy troops into Beijing was announced. Zhao Ziyang, the CMC’s first vice chairman, refused to sign.

Xu stood up and declared he would not lead his troops into the capital.

The 38th Group Army was the PLA’s flagship force—known as the “Imperial Guard” and the “Ten-Thousand-Year Army.” Xu’s refusal shocked Deng and Yang. He was immediately dismissed from command, detained by the General Political Department, and handed over to a military court, which sentenced him to five years. After serving his term in Qincheng Prison, he was later relocated to Shijiazhuang, Hebei.

Xu Qinxian died on January 8, 2021 at the age of 86.

A scripted trial revealing sensitive details

Xu’s trial took place on March 17, 1990, inside a Beijing military courtroom.

The recording shows a largely procedural proceeding. Prosecutors condemned the 1989 movement and accused Xu of “openly opposing the Party Central Committee.” Throughout, Xu remained firm and composed. The footage also reveals sensitive details about military operations during the Tiananmen crackdown.

Xu told the court: “Events like this must stand the test of history. An incident may not be clear in the short term, but history will show the truth. Carrying out such an order may be seen as meritorious—or it may make us criminals in history.”

He continued: “With weapons in hand, I could not give that order. The Central Military Commission can appoint or remove me, but this command—I could not accept or execute. The leadership would need to find someone else.”

Beijing journalist Gao Yu later commented that Xu was imprisoned in Qincheng’s 203 Unit, the section reserved for the state’s most politically sensitive prisoners. It housed figures such as Yao Wenyuan, Qi Jinghe (Kang Sheng’s secretary), Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, and Bao Tong.

Gao wrote that Xu represented the military’s anti-massacre stance, Bao Tong the political one, and Zhao Ziyang—though never charged—the highest-level figure who opposed the crackdown.

Public reaction: “A true hero”

The release triggered an outpouring of tributes online:

“A great soldier and a true man of iron.”“A real hero.”“His courage will echo through history.”“This footage is priceless—General Xu will be remembered forever.”

Another viewer wrote: “He understood that the order could turn the PLA into criminals of history. And history has proved him right.”

A participant in the 1989 movement said: “I was there. I cried watching this. This was not a trial—it was an honor.”

A leak from inside the secrecy system?

Commentator Cai Shenkun suggested the leak may have come from within a classified agency.

“At a time when people keep hearing rumors of unrest inside the military, the timing is notable.”

He noted that the PLA is undergoing a sweeping purge, leaving officers anxious at every level.

“Releasing this footage,” he said, “may help steer the military toward what some consider the ‘correct’ path.”

One day after the recording spread online—on Nov. 26—the CCP abruptly dismissed the director of the National Administration of State Secrets Protection, Li Zhaozong, along with deputy director Shi Yingli. Cai called the simultaneous removal of both officials “highly unusual” and wondered whether it signaled punishment for a major leak.

Declassified records: Estimates of 10,454 deaths

Public sources describe the 1989 Tiananmen movement as a nationwide push for political reform following the death of Hu Yaobang. The protests lasted nearly two months before the June 3–4 military crackdown operation.

Because the CCP continues to suppress information, casualty estimates vary widely—from several hundred to more than ten thousand.

A July 10, 1990 internal Ministry of Public Security report counted 931 deaths and over 22,000 injuries nationwide. In Beijing, it listed 523 civilian deaths and 45 military and police deaths, with 11,570 injuries.

In 2014, a U.S. White House declassified document cited an internal Zhongnanhai source claiming about 10,454 deaths and 40,000 injuries—figures drawn from martial-law command reports.

In 2017, the UK National Archives released files quoting a Chinese State Council staff member who said “at least more than 10,000” civilians were killed.