Commemorations are being held in Taiwan ahead of the 27th anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
Former student leader Wu'er Kaixi was joined by lawmakers at the island's legislature on Friday to mark the June 4, 1989, military assault that left hundreds, possibly thousands, dead.
Taiwan's democratic politics and open society have long served as a counterpoint to China's authoritarian one-party system that permits no discussion of the crackdown or memorials for the victims.
Wu'er said the Chinese government prevents him from returning to China and bars his elderly parents from traveling to meet him outside the country.
Inside China, security has been tightened and at least half a dozen people have reportedly been detained for attempting to memorialize victims of the crackdown.
