General Zhang Yang, a former head of the powerful Central Military Commission’s (CMC) Political Work Department who was arrested on charges of corruption in May 2017, committed suicide last week. This was confirmed by the official news agency Xinhua, which transmitted an account of the circumstances of his suicide to all Theatre Commands and described his action as a coward's way to avoid punishment. A source close to the former Guangzhou Military Command told the South China Morning Post that 66-year old Zhang Yang hanged himself at his home in Beijing on the morning of November 23, and the news of his death had been relayed to all People’s Liberation Army theatre commands.

 

(Comment: General Zhang Yang had been dropped from the list of PLA delegates to the 19th Party Congress in May and was taken away for questioning in August. He had been kept under house arrest.)