1981 Verdict for the Gang of Four

35 years ago, on January 25, 1981, the trial of members of the Gang of Four ended in China. Mao Zedong's widow Jiang Qing and former Chinese Premier Zhang Chunqiao were sentenced to death, former Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee Wang Hongwen to life imprisonment, and former Politburo member of the CPC Central Committee Yao Wenyuan to 20 years in prison. All of them played a prominent role in carrying out the "cultural revolution". The Gang of Four was accused of trying to seize power after the death of Mao Zedong. Subsequently, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Subsequently, all members of the group were released, the last of them was Yao Wenyuan in 1996. He was the only member of the Gang of Four to serve his entire sentence.