Rapid Response — June 6, 2012. The death of veteran labor activist Li Wangyang in a Shaoyang hospital requires immediate independent scrutiny.
Li’s brother-in-law Zhao Baozhu has publicly disputed the initial suicide explanation. Relatives said Li had shown no sign of intending self-harm, was severely disabled, and was found in circumstances they considered inconsistent with the official account.
Authorities should immediately preserve the scene and all medical and surveillance records, permit an independent post-mortem examination, allow the family access to counsel of its choosing, and ensure that relatives, friends, medical staff, and witnesses are not subjected to pressure or retaliation.
Li’s long imprisonment after his involvement in the 1989 democracy movement and his grave health problems make transparency especially urgent. No final conclusion about the cause of death should be treated as established until independent evidence has been examined.
Contemporary source: Associated Press/The Guardian, June 6, 2012.