Soldiers patrol China's Tiananmen on anniversary of deaths

BEIJING 

Chinese security forces clamped down on areas around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, in an effort to prevent commemorations of an event in which anything between hundreds and thousands of people are believed to have died.

Armed soldiers and police officers patrolled the square - China's symbolic political heart - on Wednesday, the 25th anniversary of what some people refer to as the "June 4 massacre." Vehicles were stopped and identification demanded in an effort to stop any public memorial taking place.

In April 1989, tens of thousands of Chinese activists demanding political reform and freedom of expression, gathered in Tiananmen Square. The large-scale protests had started April 15, with all sectors of society taking part. 

On June 4, however, the mood changed dramatically when the army entered the square and opened fire on the protesters.

It is not known exactly how many died during the crackdown - estimates vary from the hundreds to the thousands, according to some unofficial reports. 

Although China bans commemorations - the Chinese media cannot write or publish any news, documentaries, articles or photos on the event - Hong Kong and Taiwanese activists mark June 4 every year to protest what they consider to be China's government’s "non-democratic ways".

United Nations Human Rights chief Navi Pillay has asked China to publish what he calls "the truth" about the June 4 protest.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei, meanwhile, has rejected as "strong interference" calls by Pillay and the U.S. to release such "truth" and asked them to stop making "irresponsible remarks."

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