He helped design China’s political reforms in the 1980s and tried to avert the bloodshed that ended the democracy protests. After prison, he became a critic of the party.
Tag: Deaths (Obituaries)
Mehran Karimi Nasseri, Who Inspired ‘The Terminal,’ Dies in Paris Airport
He slept on a bench in Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years, stuck in limbo as a refugee. His story inspired a Steven Spielberg film with Tom Hanks.
Michael Basman, Chess Master Known for ‘Bad’ Openings, Dies at 76
He was known for playing some of the least respected openings, including the Grob, the Creepy Crawly or the St. George Defense. But he was often successful.
Ela Bhatt, Advocate for Women Workers in India, Dies at 89
The cooperative she founded has helped millions of women who had never before had a safety net. “They were,” she said, “the poorest among the poor.”
Hannah Pick-Goslar, a Presence in Anne Frank’s Diary, Dies at 93
The two young women knew each other from kindergarten until their final encounter, on opposite sides of a barbed-wire fence in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
U.S. Releases Guantánamo’s Oldest Prisoner
Saifullah Paracha, 75, was accused of being a Qaeda sympathizer and was held for two decades. But he was never charged with a crime.
Dietrich Mateschitz, Creator of the Red Bull Empire, Dies at 78
The Austrian salesman turned a Thai energy drink into a marketing juggernaut that owned sports teams, media outlets and a winning Formula 1 crew.
Ngo Vinh Long, Lightning Rod for Opposing the Vietnam War, Dies at 78
After escaping arrest in Vietnam for his antiwar views, he became the most prominent Vietnamese in the United States to campaign against the war.
Ian Hamilton, 97, Who Stole a Scottish Relic From Westminster Abbey, Dies
In an audacious caper, he and three other Scottish nationalists liberated the Stone of Destiny nearly 700 years after England had seized it from Scotland.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Influential Muslim Scholar, Dies at 96
Considered a moderate by some and an extremist by others, he backed political Islam, attacked Al Qaeda and dispensed advice in a TV show viewed by millions.