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Beijing: Scores of policemen kept a close watch on crowds in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, the anniversary of the bloody military crackdown on 1989 pro-democracy protests centred on the vast plaza.
No public commemorations were known to be held and there were few reminders of the events of 19 years ago. Instead, the square, like the rest of the Chinese capital, was adorned with symbols of the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
Human rights groups have sought to link the two events, saying releasing political prisoners and allowing exiled student leaders to return would burnish the Communist government's image before the Olympic spotlight turns on Beijing.
Security was tight on Wednesday and crowds of visitors moved calmly around the square, one of Beijing's main tourist attractions. Police and other security officers searched bags for banners or leaflets containing dissident messages.
Human Rights Watch urged China to free Tiananmen prisoners to show “the global Olympic audience it's serious about human rights.”
The group said about 130 prisoners are still being held for their role in the demonstrations, involving tens of thousands of students and others, that started in Tiananmen Square and spread to several major cities.
In Washington, the US State Department urged China to make a full public accounting of those killed, detained or missing in the crackdown. It called on the international community to urge China to release prisoners still serving sentences from the protests.
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