Wu’er Kaixi is a Chinese dissident known for his leading role in the 1989 student protests at Tiananmen. He was born in Beijing with ancestral roots in Ili Prefecture of Uighur origin. He achieved prominence while studying at Beijing Normal University as a hunger striker who rebuked Chinese Premier Li Peng on national television in 1989. He was one of the main leaders of the pro-reform Beijing Students’ Autonomous Federation, and helped lead abortive negotiations with Chinese officials as part of the student democracy movement. After the June 4 Tiananmen massacre, he was No 2 on China’s list of most wanted student leaders.

He fled to the United States and studied at Harvard University and Dominican University then immigrated to Taiwan, where he is a prominent political commentator. His four attempts to turn himself in to Chinese authorities have made him one of the most visible dissidents in recent years. He serves as Emeritus member for the renowned Reporters Without Borders.