Statement — June 6, 2012. Free China calls for a prompt, independent, and transparent investigation into the death of veteran labor activist Li Wangyang in a Shaoyang hospital.
Li spent roughly two decades imprisoned after his involvement in the 1989 democracy movement and later suffered severe disabilities and chronic illness. His family has challenged the initial suicide explanation and raised specific questions about the scene, his physical capacity, and the absence of any known indication that he intended to take his own life.
We call for preservation of all physical evidence, medical records, and surveillance material; an independent post-mortem examination; unrestricted access by the family to legal counsel of its choosing; and protection for relatives, friends, medical personnel, and other witnesses.
No person or institution with a direct interest in defending an official account should be the sole authority determining the cause of death. The credibility of any conclusion depends on independent scrutiny.
Li Wangyang endured decades of punishment for supporting labor rights and democratic change. His family and the public deserve verifiable facts about how he died.
Contemporary source: Associated Press/The Guardian, June 6, 2012.