China at the weekend imposed a blackout on news surrounding the expected release of the last known prisoner held over the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, an event Beijing has spent a quarter of a century trying to erase from history. 

Miao Deshun, a worker from Hebei Province, was 25 years old when he was given a suspended death sentence for arson following the bloody June 4 crackdown. Mr Miao and four co-workers were accused of throwing a basket on to a burning tank. 

Mr Miao’s release was scheduled for Saturday but, with his name banned from social media and no coverage in the local press, it was not possible to verify whether it had gone ahead.