A six-hour recording shows the 1990 military trial of Maj. Gen. Xu Qinxian, who refused to deploy troops against pro-democracy protesters in 1989.
A previously unseen video recording of a Chinese general’s secret military trial for refusing to carry out orders during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre has surfaced online in the past few days, offering a unique look into one of the most sensitive cases from the period.
On Nov. 24, Wu Renhua, a Chinese scholar and participant of the 1989 Tiananmen protests, shared the full video on X. The six-hour video, now taken down from the Internet Archive and uploaded on YouTube by Human Rights in China, showed the trial of Major General Xu Qinxian, on March 17, 1990, who was the then-commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) 38th Group Army.
Xu was dismissed and secretly sentenced after refusing to sign orders deploying his troops into Beijing to enforce martial law. The 38th Group Army was considered a core elite unit, and Xu’s defiance surprised senior leaders, including the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) then-de facto leaders Deng Xiaoping and Yang Shangkun.
The CCP declared martial law on May 20, 1989, as mass pro-democracy demonstrations spread across Beijing and other cities. Xu refused when military officials first convened to deliver the deployment order.
The PLA eventually entered the capital roughly two weeks later, opening fire on civilians on June 3–4.
A Closed-Door Trial With Rare Details
The newly released video shows the closed-door proceedings at a military court in Beijing. Prosecutors repeatedly condemned the student-led democracy movement and accused Xu of “openly opposing the CCP Central Committee.”
Xu, appearing calm throughout, maintained a firm and measured demeanor. The footage revealed operational details of the military response in 1989—information that remains highly sensitive in China. In the video, the presiding judge said the trial was not open to the public because the case involved state secrets.
Xu was charged with “defying martial law orders.”
Recalling receiving orders to deploy on the streets of Beijing, Xu told the court that he sought clarification on the scale of the operation and what kind of weapons were involved. He was skeptical when he was told that armored vehicles and heavy machine guns were to be used.
“I said [to my superiors] I have a different opinion on the matter,” he said in court. “This was a civilian political movement, which should be resolved politically. If force is required, it should be just the Secret Service, police, and SWAT. That’s enough. If troops really have to be mobilized, I suggested moving the troops close to Beijing, as a deterrent.”
“Given the magnitude of this matter, I recommended that the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission hold a meeting to discuss it.”
The trial appeared largely procedural, with little indication that Xu’s defense could alter the outcome. China lacks an independent judiciary under the CCP.
Notably, the judges in the court spent nearly half of the time in the video reading out “witness statements” against Xu. The witnesses were not summoned to court, and there was no cross-examination.
Xu did not have a lawyer sitting next to him. Instead, there was what appeared to be a state-appointed public defender who sat away from him and only made a few remarks during the trial.
Xu largely had to speak for himself in his own defense.
“Is it a mistake or a crime? I believe the court will make a judgment based on the facts,” he said during his final statement to the court.
The six-hour leaked video did not include Xu’s sentencing. It ended abruptly during the remarks of the public defender after Xu’s final statement.
Beijing-based independent journalist Gao Yu commented on X that Xu was held in Qincheng Prison’s 203rd section, which he shared with several other high-profile prisoners. She noted that the facility had previously housed prominent political figures.
