Li Wangyang (, 12 November 1950 – 6 June 2012) was a Chinese dissident
labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...
activist, member of the
Workers Autonomous Federation and chairman of the
Shaoyang
Shaoyang (), formerly named Baoqing (Paoking) (), is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Hunan province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It has a history of 2500 years and remains an important commercial and transportation city in Huna ...
WAF branch. Following his role in the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
, he served twenty-one years in prison on charges of counterrevolutionary propaganda, incitement, and subversion. Of all Chinese pro-democracy activists from 1989, Li spent the longest time in prison. On 6 June 2012, one year after his release from prison, and a few days after a television interview in which he continued to call for vindication of the Tiananmen Square protests, Li was found hanged in a hospital room. Shaoyang city authorities initially claimed suicide was the cause of death, but it was revised to 'accidental death' after the autopsy.
Following a protest march attended by up to 25,000 people,
Pan Democrats and senior establishment figures in Hong Kong publicly commented on the suspicious nature of the death, and said they had escalated the demands of citizens to politicians or "relevant departments" at national level for an independent investigation. The uproar in Hong Kong is said by commentators to have put pressure on mainland authorities to order a criminal investigation so as not to overshadow the impending visit of
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
general secretary
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, an ...
for the 15th anniversary celebrations of the
handover of Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the British Hong Kong, former colony. Hong Kong was establ ...
.
Protests and imprisonment
A worker in a glass factory, Li Wangyang set up a labour union under inspiration of the
Democracy Wall
From November 1978 to December 1979, thousands of people put up " big character posters" on a long brick wall of Xidan Street, Xicheng District of Beijing, to protest about the political and social issues of China. Under acquiescence of the Chines ...
in 1983. In 1989, China saw mass pro-democracy protests throughout the country, with the largest protests in
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square (; 天安门广场; Pinyin: ''Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng''; Wade–Giles: ''Tʻien1-an1-mên2 Kuang3-chʻang3'') is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the eponymous Tiananmen (" ...
, Beijing. After hundreds died when the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
suppressed the protests on 4 June, Li pasted a poster on a Shaoyang traffic sign urging a general strike in support of the protests. Two days later, 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 labour. As his health deteriorated, he was granted medical parole in June 1996, but the authorities cancelled his release after
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...
died in 1997, fearing calls for the other responsible officials to be held to account for the 4 June Massacre. In June 2000 Li was released again for reasons of poor health.
Human Rights in China
Human rights in mainland China are periodically reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC), on which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and various foreign governments and h ...
(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.
[Jacobs, Andrew (8 June 2012)]
"Chinese Activist’s Death Called Suicide, but Supporters Are Suspicious"
''The New York Times'' In 2001, Li began a
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
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 into Daxiang District Hospital to treat his medical conditions.][ His sister, who lived 7 km away from the hospital, visited 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 ebeen beheaded".][ In another interview, broadcast 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
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
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
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...
and diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
. 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" (), and formed a 'Committee in quest of the truth about Li's death'.] ''The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' commented that Chinese activists on Twitter had begun to tweet their own declarations that they had no plans to commit suicide (); 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 was taken to a hotel where they were being held.][Branigan, Tania (8 June 2012)]
"Chinese police detain Tiananmen Square veteran's relatives"
''The Guardian''. Retrieved 10 June 2012. 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.[Ng, Tze-wei; Cheung, Simpson (8 June 2012). "Answers demanded in activist's death". ''South China Morning Post''.] 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 ]Sun Yat-sen University
Sun Yat-sen University (, abbreviated SYSU and colloquially known in Chinese as Zhongda), also known as Zhongshan University, is a national key public research university located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It was founded in 1924 by and nam ...
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.[Siu, Phila (11 June 2012)]
"Shaoyang cadres defend cremation"
, ''The Standard''. The media made a connection to the Wukan protests
The Wukan protests (), also known as the Siege of Wukan, was an anti-corruption protest that began in September 2011, and escalated in December 2011 with the expulsion of officials by villagers, the siege of the town by police, and subsequent d ...
, 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
Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...
, had signed an online petition calling for an independent investigation.[ Human rights activist and lawyer ]Teng Biao
Teng Biao () is a human rights activist and lawyer in China. Teng is a lecturer at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing. He has been a vocal supporter of human rights activists such as Chen Guangcheng and Hu Jia. He has b ...
posted a picture of a calligraphy scroll 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
The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy is a human rights organization based in Hong Kong that provides information human rights abuses in mainland China for news outlets. It is run single-handedly by Frank Lu Siqing.
A municipal ...
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
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) was a pro-democracy labour and political group in the Hong Kong. It was established on 29 July 1990. It had 160,000 members in 61 affiliates (mainly trade unions in various sectors) and rep ...
(HKCTU), LabourStart launched a global online campaign demanding that the Chinese government open an investigation.
Response in Hong Kong
The death and its subsequent handling angered and sent shock waves through Hong Kong. The rebuked claims that Li died of suicide. Its convener, Lee Cheuk-yan
Lee Cheuk-yan (; born 12 February 1957 in Shanghai) is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1995 to 2016, when he lost his seat. He represented the Kowloon West and the Manufac ...
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
Alan Leong Kah-kit (; born 22 February 1958), SC is a former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Kowloon East geographical constituency, and the sitting-Chairman of the Civic Party. He was also vice-chairperson of th ...
, 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 __NOTOC__
Miriam Lau Kin-yee (, former married name Miriam Lau Lau Kin-yee; born 27 April 1947) was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing the transport industry functional constituency. Lau was the acting-ch ...
, Maria Tam
Maria Tam Wai-chu (; born 2 November 1945) is a senior Hong Kong politician and lawyer. She is a member of the Committee for the Basic Law of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) since 1997 and the chairman of the Operati ...
, Michael Tien
Michael Tien Puk-sun (born 25 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 clothing retail chain and former chairman of ...
, called on the central government to look into the case.[So, Peter; Choi Chi-yuk (10 June 2012). "Activist cremated 'without consent'". ''South China Morning Post''.] Several staunchly pro-establishment legislators argued against escalating the issue to Beijing. Wong Kwok-kin
Wong Kwok-kin, BBS (黃國健; Yale: Wòhng Gwok Gihn; born May 1952) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong representing the Kowloon East constituency, and a former non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong ...
argued that such incidents were "daily occurrences" and that it would be impractical to have them all investigated. Notably, Ip Kwok-him
Ip Kwok-him, GBM, GBS, JP (; born 8 November 1951) is a former unofficial member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, served between 2016 and 2022. He is also former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the District Council ...
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.][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 fro
the original
on 11 June 2012. At ''City Forum,'' CPPCC member Lew Mon-hung
Lew Mon-hung (; born 11 December 1948), nicknamed "Dream Bear" based on his Chinese name, is a pro-Beijing Hong Kong businessman, formerly deputy chairman and executive director of Pearl Oriental Oil Limited. Lew was a member of the National ...
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.][Siu, Phila (11 June 2012)]
"Li death sparks mass protest"
. ''The Standard''.[Lau, Stuart; Lee, Colleen; Tam, Johnny; Shi, Jiangtao (11 June 2012). "Thousands demand Li Wangyang probe" ''South China Morning Post''] 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 was 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.[ In a piece translated and published in the ''South China Morning Post'', Chang Ping wrote that Li's death "exposed the relationship between the June 4 crackdown and the Chinese government's policy to 'maintain stability' ... ]hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
becomes the priority that overrides all. June 4 became the government's model for dealing with any dissent, using extreme force."
Wang Xiangwei, the newly appointed editor-in-Chief of the ''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' was criticised for his decision to reduce paper's coverage of Li' death on 7 June. Wang reportedly reversed the decision to run a full story, and instead published a two-paragraph report inside the paper; other news media reported it prominently. A senior staff member who sought to understand the decision received a stern rebuff by return email from Wang. Self-censorship concerns were raised in the Chinese-language press of the territory because Wang is mainland born, and is a member of the Jilin Provincial CPPCC.[ Other than on the first day, Li's death and aftermath was covered in the ''Post'' as major news stories.]["Here is the news - or maybe not"]
. ''The Standard'', 20 June 2012 On 21 June, responding to news of alleged downplaying of Li's case, Wang said he understood the "huge responsibility to deliver news... nd.. the journalistic heritage we have inherited". He said that his decision not to pursue extensive coverage as the story broke was pending "more facts and details surrounding the circumstances of this case".[Wang Xiangwei, (21 June 2012). "Statement by the Editor-in-Chief". ''South China Morning Post''.]
Outgoing Health Secretary York Chow
York Chow Yat-ngok (; born 1947, Hong Kong), GBS, SBS, MBE, was the Secretary for Food and Health of Hong Kong and a member of the Executive Council. He was appointed as Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food in 2004. The position has sinc ...
was the first minister to express scepticism of the 'suicide' claim; then others followed suit. Former Legco president and National People's Congress Standing Committee member Rita Fan
Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai (; ' Hsu; ''born'' Hsu Ching-li; born 20 September 1945) is a senior Hong Kong politician. She was the first President of the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council from 1998 to 2008 and a member of the Standing Committee of ...
noted the doubts of the public in Hong Kong over the death of Li. She said that "If these doubts can be resolved, and if some people are held responsible, Hong Kong people will have a better impression of the country."[ She added that "Matters like these happen because the officials do not value the lives of the people, do not respect the rights of the people … do not have an in-depth understanding of accountability to the people."][ Chief Executive-elect, ]CY Leung
Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Ma ...
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.[Siu, Phila; Chan, Roy (15 June 2012)]
"Task force set up to probe activist death"
. ''The Standard''.
Nine days after the death, outgoing Chief Executive Donald Tsang expressed doubts about Li's case, said he understood the views of Hong Kong people. He said: "Under the principle of 'one country, two systems', the most important responsibility for a chief executive is to safeguard the freedoms of speech and expression of Hong Kong people"; Chief Executive-elect CY Leung said he shared the feelings of fellow citizens about the issue.[ On 16 June, Leung observed a minute's silence in honour of Li at a function, but maintained that it would be "inappropriate" for him to comment on the death.
]
Macao
Pro-democracy Macanese legislators Chan Wai Chi, Au Kam San
Au Kam-san () (born 30 April 1957 in Macau with family roots in Xinxing, Guangdong, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by populat ...
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.
Hunan investigation
Following the public outcry, Li Gang, deputy director of the Hong Kong–central government liaison office in said that Hunan Public Security Bureau ordered a criminal investigation into the death.[ Li said: "We have noted the concern expressed by the Hong Kong community and media on i Wangyang's death We have reflected their concerns to the relevant departments in the central government."][Lau, Stuart; Tam, Johnny; Mok, Danny; So, Peter (15 June 2012). "Beijing loyalists welcome probe of activist's death". ''South China Morning Post''.] The ''South China Morning Post'' noted that announcement about the forensic and criminal investigation by experts from outside Hunan province came through the semi-official Hong Kong China News Agency rather than Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
, saying it indicated that the announcement was targeted at Hong Kong, designed to calm public anger.[Staff Reporters (16 June 2012). "Fresh probe takes heat off Hu's visit". ''South China Morning Post''.] Pundits said the uproar in Hong Kong had put pressure on mainland authorities to order a criminal investigation so as not to threaten the legacy of outgoing CCP general secretary Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, an ...
and overshadow his impending visit for the 15th anniversary celebrations of the handover of Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the British Hong Kong, former colony. Hong Kong was establ ...
. Political commentator Johnny Lau said that if Hu had not been planning on coming to Hong Kong, "the case could drag on or may be forgotten".[
]
Legacy
On June 6, 2018, a sculpture for Li Wangyang was unveiled at the Liberty Sculpture Park in Yermo, California
Yermo (Spanish for "wilderness") is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. It is east of Barstow on Interstate 15, just south of the Calico Mountains. Its population was an estimated 1,750 in 20 ...
, the sculpture is 6 meters in total height, it was finished under a project in three months.
On May 27, 2022, a bust of Li Wangyang was unveiled in Béziers
Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
References
External links
* , ''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
– graphic images "posted by witness"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Wangyang
2012 in China
Political repression in China
Political activism
Labor rights
1950 births
2012 deaths
People from Shaoyang