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| Editorials in the main newspapers all referred to Li's death as "suspicious", and said ongoing publicity about the case is unfavourable to China's image, and that it was in China's interests for the death to be probed transparently by central authorities.<ref>LEADER: (11 June 2012). "Suspicious death of June 4 activist Li Wangyang warrants an inquiry". ''South China Morning Post''</ref><ref>Mary Ma (11 June 2012). , ''The Standard''.</ref> An opinion piece in the ''Hong Kong Economic Journal'' said Li's death stoked the anger of the Hong Kong people and brought up to 25,000 people onto the streets. "It not only reopened the wounds of the Tiananmen protests; the ridiculous claims that he committed suicide was a travesty of the rule of law". The writer lamented that despite China's rise, she still languished third from last in world rankings in terms of respect for human rights.<ref name=HKEJ20120611/> | Editorials in the main newspapers all referred to Li's death as "suspicious", and said ongoing publicity about the case is unfavourable to China's image, and that it was in China's interests for the death to be probed transparently by central authorities.<ref>LEADER: (11 June 2012). "Suspicious death of June 4 activist Li Wangyang warrants an inquiry". ''South China Morning Post''</ref><ref>Mary Ma (11 June 2012). , ''The Standard''.</ref> An opinion piece in the ''Hong Kong Economic Journal'' said Li's death stoked the anger of the Hong Kong people and brought up to 25,000 people onto the streets. "It not only reopened the wounds of the Tiananmen protests; the ridiculous claims that he committed suicide was a travesty of the rule of law". The writer lamented that despite China's rise, she still languished third from last in world rankings in terms of respect for human rights.<ref name=HKEJ20120611/> | ||
| Outgoing Health Secretary ] was the first minister to express scepticism of the 'suicide' claim; then others followed suit.<ref name=hks20120613phila>{{cite news |url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=123399&sid=36700881&con_type=1&d_str=20120613&isSearch=1&sear_year=2012 |title=Chow questions Li death |date=13 June 2012|author=Siu, Phila |work=The Standard |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref> Senior politician and National People's Congress Standing Committee member ] said: "The public in Hong Kong has many doubts over the death of Li Wangyang. If these doubts can be resolved, and if some people are held responsible, Hong Kong people will have a better impression of the country."<ref name=hks20120614phila/> Chief Executive-elect, ] maintained his refusal to directly comment on Li's death, which was universally hailed as "suspicious". many local pro-establishment politicians said they had escalated the matter to various Communist Party officials or bodies. Following the outcry, the central government ordered a criminal investigation into the death |
Outgoing Health Secretary ] was the first minister to express scepticism of the 'suicide' claim; then others followed suit.<ref name=hks20120613phila>{{cite news |url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=123399&sid=36700881&con_type=1&d_str=20120613&isSearch=1&sear_year=2012 |title=Chow questions Li death |date=13 June 2012|author=Siu, Phila |work=The Standard |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref> Senior politician and National People's Congress Standing Committee member ] said: "The public in Hong Kong has many doubts over the death of Li Wangyang. If these doubts can be resolved, and if some people are held responsible, Hong Kong people will have a better impression of the country."<ref name=hks20120614phila/> Chief Executive-elect, ] maintained his refusal to directly comment on Li's death, which was universally hailed as "suspicious". many local pro-establishment politicians said they had escalated the matter to various Communist Party officials or bodies. Following the outcry, Hong Kong representatives of the central government said that Hunan Public Security Bureau ordered a criminal investigation into the death.<ref>Siu, Phila; Chan, Roy (15 June 2012). . ''The Standard''.</ref> | ||
| === Macao === | === Macao === | ||
Revision as of 09:50, 15 June 2012
| Li Wangyang 李旺阳 | |
|---|---|
 Still from a TV interview of Li Wangyang in June 2012 | |
| Born | 1950 (age 74–75) Hunan, China |
| Died | 6 June 2012 Hunan, PRC |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Occupation(s) | glass worker; political activist |
| Spouse | unmarried |
| Death of Li Wangyang | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 李旺陽 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 李旺阳 | ||||||
| |||||||
Li Wangyang (李旺阳, 1950 – 6 June 2012) was a Chinese dissident labour rights activist, member of the Workers Autonomous Federation and chairman of the Shaoyang WAF branch. Following his role in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, he served twenty-one years in prison on charges of counterrevolutionary propaganda, incitement, and subversion. Of all Chinese pro-democracy activists from 1989, Li has spent the longest time in prison. On 6 June 2012, one year after his release from prison, he was found hanged in a hospital room under disputed circumstances.
Protests and imprisonment
A worker in a glass factory, Li Wangyang set up a labour union under inspiration of Democracy Wall in 1983. In 1989, China saw mass pro-democracy protests throughout the country, with the largest protests in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. In support of the protests, on 4 June, Li pasted a poster on a Shaoyang traffic sign urging a general strike. Following the hundreds of deaths that resulted when the People's Liberation Army suppressed the protests, Li organized a memorial for the victims.
As a result of his actions, Li was jailed on 9 June for "counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement". He was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment, but his sentence was increased to thirteen years when he appealed to the court. He was also sentenced to hard labor. As his health deteriorated, he was granted medical parole in June 1996, but the authorities cancelled his release after Deng Xiaoping died in 1997, fearing calls to vindicate 4 June. In June 2000 Li was released again for reasons of poor health. Human Rights in China (HRIC) alleged that Li was tortured while in custody, resulting in his losing both his sight and hearing. Li himself said in his last interview that the only explanation for his becoming blind was through nerve damage caused by being repeatedly beaten about the head.
During his spells in prison, Li was a frequent inmate in solitary confinement. In 2001, Li began a hunger strike as part of a petition to authorities to repay his health care costs, and was given an additional ten-year sentence for "inciting subversion". Whilst attempting to force feed Li during his hunger strike, guards knocked out Li's front teeth. He finally gained freedom in May 2011, when he checked in to Daxiang District Hospital to treat his medical conditions. His sister, who lived 7 km away from the hospital, would visit him twice a day with his meals
Li remained vocal in demanding vindication of the Tiananmen protesters up until his death: in an interview with i-CABLE broadcast four days before, he said "the souls of the martyrs deserve to finally find some peace". He advocated a multi-party democracy for his country, and said he did not regret his fight for a better China, "even had been beheaded" In another interview, on French radio the eve of the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, he appealed to his compatriots "to observe 6-4". Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience. Apple Daily reported that he had no minders before the interviews. After his interviews were broadcast, Li was kept under around the clock surveillance by a team of 10 police officers. An account that was opened to receive donations from supporters from China and abroad to pay his medical fees was inexplicably blocked; he was also severely impeded from going to Beijing to see a specialist physician.
Death
Li was found dead on 6 June 2012, one year after his latest release from prison, in the Daxiang Hospital where he was being treated for heart disease and diabetes. Li was reportedly found on his feet with a strip of cloth tied around his neck and connected to a window bar. Li's next of kin, his sister Li Wangling and her husband Zhao Baozhu, rushed to the hospital shortly after they were telephoned at 6 am. His brother-in-law said that the body was "on its feet next to his bed, with a white strip of cloth tied tightly around its neck and connected to a window bar above". The authorities said to relatives that there would be an autopsy. Although the latter were denied permission to take photographs, some stills and one video made it onto the internet. Later, i-Cable television in Hong Kong reported that officials had been attempting to persuade Li's family members to cremate his body immediately.
Domestic reaction
Official statements that Li had committed suicide caused "outrage" among China's dissident community, as his family questioned how Li would have been capable of killing himself. They said that leaving aside his minders, Li was blind and nearly deaf and could "barely hold a bowl without his hands shaking". Friends and local activists strongly allege that Li was "suicided" (被自殺), and formed a 'Committee in quest of the truth about Li's death'. The Wall Street Journal commented that Chinese activists on Twitter had begun to tweet their own declarations that they had no plans to commit suicide (#我不自杀); dissident Hu Jia recommended that fellow dissidents who are frequently arrested and political prisoners prepare a notarised statement declaring one's lack of intention to commit suicide. To avoid internet censorship, "suicided" became a web-search term of choice.
HRIC said Li's sister had been detained by police and were taken to a hotel where they were being held. Media reported that Li's family was under pressure to consent to an autopsy, and that police had given an ultimatum of noon on 8 June. Family members were denied access to the body since police removed it from the hospital. The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy conveyed that Li's next of kin were prepared to grant an autopsy subject to the presence of a lawyer from outside Shaoyang. On 8 June, an autopsy of Li's body was carried out by authorities in Shaoyang, apparently against the wishes of his family, and the body was cremated on 9 June. According to the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, an unnamed member of staff at a funeral parlour implied that the government ordered the cremation; another worker told Cable TV that Li's sister and brother-in-law had given signed consent.
According to Shaoyang city authorities, people on Li's wards saw him "acting strangely" by the window at around 3 am on the day he died. "Surveillance camera footage showed that on the night Li Wangyang died, no suspicious persons entered the ward except Li's wardmates and hospital staff ... The ward's door was not forced open", and there were no other bruises on his body.
Shaoyang city authorities said the autopsy was conducted by four pathologists from the Sun Yat-sen University on 8 June. It is claimed that the entire process was videotaped and in the presence of the media, members of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The university is expected to report the autopsy within four days. The city continued to assert that Li committed suicide, that his body was cremated at his family's request, and that his ashes were buried under the supervision of his sister and brother-in-law. The media made a connection to the Wukan protests, pointing out the medical examiner assigned to perform Li's autopsy was the same person who pronounced that Xue Jingbo had died of "cardiac failure"
International response
By the day following news of Li's demise, over 2,700 people, including dissident Ai Weiwei, had signed an online petition calling for an independent investigation. Human rights activist and lawyer Teng Biao posted a picture of a calligraphy scrolls which read "An inch of blood for an inch of freedom, thousands of miles of rivers bring thousands of miles of woes" to his Twitter account, dedicating the post to Li. The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy raised the possibility that "security guards monitoring him tortured him to death and faked a suicide". Amnesty International issued a statement urging the Chinese government to "thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding Li Wangyang's death and take seriously the claims made by his family and friends that this was not suicide". At the request of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), LabourStart launched a global online campaign demanding that the Chinese government open an investigation.
Reception in Hong Kong
The death and its subsequent handling angered and sent shock waves through Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China rebuked claims that Li died of suicide. Its convener, Lee Cheuk-yan argued that Li never regretted support for democracy in the course of his imprisonment, and that his poor health condition did not allow him to hang himself under surveillance of National Security Guards. Kinseng Lam, who gave Li the last interview, called it an assassination and believed it was his interview that triggered the authorities to kill him. Alan Leong, Civic Party legislator in Hong Kong, suggested Li 'paid the price' for his interview with iCable TV. Several representatives to the National People's Congress (NPC), including Liberal Party chairman Miriam Lau, Maria Tam, Michael Tien, called on the central government to look into the case. Several staunchly pro-establishment legislators argued against escalating the issue to Beijing. Wong Kwok-kin argued that such incidents were "daily occurrences" and that it would be impractical to have them all investigated. Notably, Ip Kwok-him of the DAB initially said it was "unnecessary" to write to air his concerns, because Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) members should not tell the authorities how to conduct their affairs. Ip later made a U-turn owing to public pressure. At City Forum, CPPCC member Lew Mon-hung said he would immediately write to the CPPCC regarding the death under bizarre circumstances. He opined that for a man to be killed under guise of protecting social stability would be complete denial of human rights. Nevertheless, he defended the Central government, saying it was still uncertain whether Li's death was a suicide or a homicide.
According to organisers of the march on 10 June, in Hong Kong to demand a thorough investigation into Li's death, 25,000 people attended the largest-scale protest ever at the main entrance of the Central Government Liaison Office; Police estimated the turnout at 5,400.On 13 June, 1500 people attended a candlelight vigil held outside the former Legislative Council Building commemorating the seventh day of Li's death.
Editorials in the main newspapers all referred to Li's death as "suspicious", and said ongoing publicity about the case is unfavourable to China's image, and that it was in China's interests for the death to be probed transparently by central authorities. An opinion piece in the Hong Kong Economic Journal said Li's death stoked the anger of the Hong Kong people and brought up to 25,000 people onto the streets. "It not only reopened the wounds of the Tiananmen protests; the ridiculous claims that he committed suicide was a travesty of the rule of law". The writer lamented that despite China's rise, she still languished third from last in world rankings in terms of respect for human rights.
Outgoing Health Secretary York Chow was the first minister to express scepticism of the 'suicide' claim; then others followed suit. Senior politician and National People's Congress Standing Committee member Rita Fan said: "The public in Hong Kong has many doubts over the death of Li Wangyang. If these doubts can be resolved, and if some people are held responsible, Hong Kong people will have a better impression of the country." Chief Executive-elect, CY Leung maintained his refusal to directly comment on Li's death, which was universally hailed as "suspicious". many local pro-establishment politicians said they had escalated the matter to various Communist Party officials or bodies. Following the outcry, Hong Kong representatives of the central government said that Hunan Public Security Bureau ordered a criminal investigation into the death.
Macao
Pro-democracy Macanese legislators Chan Wai Chi, Au Kam San and Ng Kuok Cheong wrote to PRC Premier Wen Jiabao and other deputies to the Chinese People’s National Congress demanding an investigation of Li's mysterious "suicide". They protested the Shaoyang public security office ignoring escalating calls for a transparent investigation Li's death, and accused them of "destroying the evidence" by cremating Li’s body.
References
- Chan, Kaiyee (7 June 2012). "Bizarre 'suicide' in Hunan of June 4 leader is suspected murder". China Daily Mail. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ Barbara Demick (6 June 2012). "Tiananmen activist found hanged in Chinese hospital room". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- ^ "China dissident Li Wangyang found dead in hospital". The Guardian. Associated Press. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- ^ James Pomfret and Stefanie McIntyre (7 June 2012). "Online petitioners seek probe into China dissident death". Reuters. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- ^ Jacobs, Andrew (June 8, 2012). "Chinese Activist’s Death Called Suicide, but Supporters Are Suspicious". The New York Times
- ^ "China must investigate veteran dissident's death". Amnesty International. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- "力抗中共 旺陽妹決不火化哥哥". Apple Daily. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- "工運領袖被囚廿多年受盡折磨". i-CABLE News Channel. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)Template:Zh icon - "受訪後10公安監控". Apple Daily. 7 June 2012.Template:Zh icon
- ^ "China dissident Li Wangyang found dead in Shaoyang". BBC News. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- Siu, Phila; Agence France-Presse (8 June 2012). "Death probe calls snowball". The Standard. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- "六四民運人士李旺陽死因遭疑 家人恐遭監控". 中央社. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.Template:Zh icon
- "关于成立李旺阳被自杀真相调查委员会的声明". Boxun. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.Template:Zh icon
- Chen, Te-Ping; Spegele, Brian (12 June 2012). "Protests Erupt Over Death of Tiananmen Dissident". 'China Realtime Report' – a Wall Street Journal blog
- Branigan, Tania (8 June 2012). "Chinese police detain Tiananmen Square veteran's relatives" The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ Ng, Tze-wei; Cheung, Simpson (8 June 2012). "Answers demanded in activist's death". South China Morning Post.
- "Mainland activist Li Wangyang cremated". RTHK. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ So, Peter; Choi Chi-yuk (10 June 2012). "Activist cremated 'without consent'". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Siu, Phila (11 June 2012). "Shaoyang cadres defend cremation", The Standard.
- "官方驗屍不可信" ". Ming Pao 12 June 2012. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012 Template:Zh icon
- Lam Ying (7 June 2012). "內疚訪問 林建誠﹕不滿可殺我". Mingpao Daily. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)Template:Zh icon - "田北辰將去信人大常委 促查李旺陽死因". RTHK. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.Template:Zh icon
- "劉健儀明去信人大 促查李旺陽死亡真相". Apple Daily. 8 June 2012.Template:Zh icon
- ^ Siu, Phila (11 June 2012). "Li death sparks mass protest". The Standard.
- ^ Ji, Xiaofeng/紀曉風 (11 June 2012) "港人怒吼為李旺陽呼冤 大國小器人權排名尾三". Hong Kong Economic Journal. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Template:Zh icon
- "李旺陽離奇死 劉夢熊促查". Ming Pao. 8 June 2012. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012.Template:Zh icon
- "Protesters demand dissident death probe". RTHK. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- "2.5萬人申寃 還李旺陽清白". Apple Daily. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- Lau, Stuart; Lee, Colleen; Tam, Johnny; Shi, Jiangtao (11 June 2012). "Thousands demand Li Wangyang probe" South China Morning Post
- ^ Siu, Phila (14 June 2012). "Tsang adds voice to Li justice call". The Standard. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- LEADER: (11 June 2012). "Suspicious death of June 4 activist Li Wangyang warrants an inquiry". South China Morning Post
- Mary Ma (11 June 2012). "An inconvenient deadly truth", The Standard.
- Siu, Phila (13 June 2012). "Chow questions Li death". The Standard. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- Siu, Phila; Chan, Roy (15 June 2012). "Task force set up to probe activist death". The Standard.
- "Lawmakers write PM to probe dubious death of Mainland activist". Macau Times 12 June 2012
External links
- "23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre, when will it end?", Travelling Back and Forth between China. Hong Kong Cable TV, 2 June 2012 – includes last interview with Li Wangyang
- "Li Wangyang is dead" – video shot by family member after discovering Li's hanging body. YouTube, 6 June 2012
- Images of Li at hospital posted by witness