A leading Chinese dissident imprisoned after the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests has been found hanged in hospital.
Officials suggested Li Wangyang had committed suicide, but family members questioned this account.
His body was found on Wednesday in Shaoyang city, in the southeast of the country.
He was on his feet next to his bed, with a white strip of cloth tied tightly around his neck and connected to a window bar above, according to his brother-in-law Zhao Baozhu .
Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao, reporting from Hong Kong, said relatives doubted that Li would have been physically able to hang himself.
“They pointed out the fact that he was virtually blind and deaf and unable to walk properly from his years of mistreatment in prison,” he said.
“They also pointed out that as a leading dissident, he was being monitored by sometimes up to 10 police officers 24 hours of the day and they wonder how he may have managed to slip a bandage around his neck and tie it to a window without them noticing.”
‘Always very strong’
Li, 62, was released from jail last year after two decades in custody, but had been detained again several times since.
“Even though he had so many illnesses and spent more than 20 years in jail, he never talked about suicide“ – Zhao Baozhu, brother-in-law |
Zhao said he was suspicious about Li’s death because the activist had never expressed a desire to kill himself despite hardships he went through.
He said that Li had seemed normal over dinner the previous night.
“He was always very strong, there was no sign at all that he was thinking of killing himself,” Zhao told the AP news agency.
“Even though he had so many illnesses and spent more than 20 years in jail, he never talked about suicide. So I don’t believe it.”
After Li’s death was discovered, more than 40 police descended on the hospital and took his body away, preventing the hospital and family from confirming the exact cause of death, Huang Lihong, a local activist, told AFP.
Zhou Zhirong, an activist and family friend, also said that Li’s relatives were escorted away from the hospital and then detained at a hotel.
“Li’s sister and brother-in-law have been taken away by the police and they were told that the death was due to suicide,” he said.
“Family friends and supporters and other activists have been strongly warned not to cause trouble and have been placed under police surveillance.”
‘Propaganda and incitement’
Activists looking at photos of the scene on the internet also doubted Li had hanged himself since his feet were touching the ground.
He was being treated at Daxiang District People’s Hospital for illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, failing eyesight and hearing.
Li was arrested for his labour activism on June 9, 1989, five days after the bloody military crackdown on protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Sentenced for “counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement,” he spent much of his 11-year term at hard labour.
The subsequent 10-year sentence for inciting subversion centred on his demands for government help for health problems caused by beatings and mistreatment in prison.
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- Anger, suspicion over Chinese activist’s ‘suicide’ (edition.cnn.com)
- Chinese dissident Li Wangyang found dead in ‘strange circumstances’ (vancouversun.com)
June 11, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Death of Chinese dissident Mr. Li Wangyang, he used different ways love him country. Mr. Li was jailed for more than 22 years after the 1989 Tiananmen democracy protests. He is a patriot but him country not love him. And then his friends concern why him dead, they monitor and intercept by china government.
Hong Kong people attach to death of Chinese dissident Mr. Li Wangyang. DAB, HKFTU political groups can be representative Hong Kong people a say in Beijing, but they have the courage.
I feel that one country two system is our Hong Kong people lifestyle. This is very dirty policy and dirty country.
P.S.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is the largest pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong.
明朝有被誅十族的方孝孺,估不到依家都有被自殺的「愛國者李先生」他的朋友亦被誅。(第十族為朋友)
我想同「工聯會、民建聯」,講,人大代表是用監督政府!
明朝方先生死後有詩云:「臨危生死決須臾,為國寧憐家與軀?繼志情殷愧力短,承先念切遇時渝。關山欲斷春秋淚,骨肉長分南北區。手澤遺今無復守,聊憑風雨泣桑榆。」
李旺陽事件令我有感而發。
June 21, 2012 at 1:44 am
Feet on the ground is no proof of conspiracy theory. Ever heard of partial suspension hanging?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging
“by means of partial suspension or partial weight-bearing on the ligature. This method has been most often used in prisons or other institutions, where full suspension support is difficult to devise.”