China Blocks Popular Web Sites Before Tiananmen Anniversary

Two days before the 20th anniversary of the brutal military crackdown on student protesters in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government has blocked popular Web sites aimed at the young, including Twitter, Flickr and Hotmail. It also has blocked message boards on some 6,000 sites associated with colleges and universities. 

The Guardian:

Chinese censors blocked access to Twitter and other popular online services today, two days before the 20th anniversary of the crackdown on democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.

The move came amid increasing pressure on dissidents, in a reflection of the authorities’ anxiety ahead of the sensitive date. Hundreds died as the army forced its way through Beijing to clear away demonstrators from the capital’s political heart in June 1989, but the issue is taboo on the mainland.

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The famous image of a man halting advancing Chinese army tanks on June 5, 1989.