Beijing, July 23 (TIWN) Former Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng, infamous for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, has died, China's media reported on Tuesday.

Mr Li died on Monday evening in Beijing of an unspecified illness.  He served in several top positions in China in the 1980s and 1990s.  But he was best known as the "Butcher of Beijing" for his role in the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. Soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed civilians.  Mr Li later defended his actions as a "necessary" step.