Miao Deshun was locked up for throwing a basket into an already burning tank.

For nearly three decades, Miao Deshun has been behind bars. He's said to be the last person arrested during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests still in jail.

He has outlived many of his fellow jailed protesters and witnessed many others' release over the past 27 years. Put another way, he's been imprisoned for almost 10,000 days of what normally would be the most active period of his life.

Catherine Henriette / AFP / Getty Images

How did the now 51-year-old man earn such a heavy sentence? He and four coworkers threw a basket into a burning tank, which was sent by the Chinese army to crack down on students and other protesters.

Miao was convicted of arson in August 1989. He was at first sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve; it was later reduced to life sentence, and because of good behavior his sentence was further reduced multiple times.

The middle-aged man is said to suffer from hepatitis B and schizophrenia and was transferred in 2003 to a solitary confinement unit primarily for old, sick, and disabled prisoners in the outskirt of Beijing.

Tommy Cheng / AFP / Getty Images

Miao was among more than 1,500 people sentenced to prison during the protests while hundreds, if not thousands, died in the crackdown in Beijing and other cities.

Citizen participants generally received harsher punishments than students, assumably for their lower social status. Dui Ha said Miao has been cut off from contact with the outside world, including his family, for many years by his own request.

Manuel Ceneta / AFP / Getty Images

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