WASHINGTON - The death last month of China’s whistleblowing doctor Li Wenliang, weeks after he warned of a new, unnamed coronavirus in an online chatroom, triggered an outpouring of calls for free speech in the world’s most populous authoritarian country.
In online chatrooms, many mourned the doctor’s passing as they talked about the importance of transparency and free speech and demanded an end to the party’s ever-expanding control over all aspects of life. Some saw echoes of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, but others said the Chinese government's heavy handed controls and massive surveillance apparatus are too effective at neutralizing dissent.
Analysts told VOA Mandarin that not only is this coronavirus moment nothing like the spring protests of 1989, but free speech in China continues to worsen despite Beijing’s rise on the global stage.
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Days after Li’s death, Jan. 31, a sudden knock on his door awakened Su Ping. A 48-year-old who owns two financial companies and lives in Shenzhen, China’s high-tech hub, Su found police officers at the door. They told him someone had reported him for “publishing inappropriate statements online.”
The officers took Su to the police station. There, he signed a document promising, “not to publish inappropriate statements or do anything that would cause panic” in the future.
Su said the “inappropriate statement” was an open letter he signed online mourning Li’s death and calling for freedom of speech and transparency. Snatched from his home in the middle of the night, and well aware of the authorities’ ability to make him disappear, Su said he had little choice but to sign the document.
Authorities warned, then silenced Li Wenliang in early January for revealing the scope of the coronavirus outbreak. On Jan. 1, when Wuhan police announced that Li and seven others had been summoned for admonition, the local health authorities were reporting that there were dozens cases of “viral pneumonia of unknown causes” without obvious evidence of human-to-human transmission. By the time Li’s death was announced Feb. 7, it was clear that he was correct and authorities had wasted time.
As of Thursday, the virus has spread to at least 88 countries with more than 98,000 confirmed cases and at least 3,300 deaths globally, according to WHO. Most of the deaths, 3,045, and confirmed cases, 80,711, are in China. The majority of those are in Wuhan.
The announcement of Li's death unleashed a torrent of grief and anger on social media. Millions of Chinese paid tribute to him while condemning the government for valuing stability over people’s well-being.
Su signed one of the open letters, which cites Article 35 of China’s constitution.
It states that Chinese citizens “enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration."
Su said he signed the open letter because, “the quick spread of the virus across the country has something to do with [the lack of] information transparency.”
“I’m a bit afraid after signing the letter … but someone has to stand up,” he said. “Otherwise, the situation will never change. If no one is willing to stand up, the whole situation will get worse.”
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Wang Yu, a human rights lawyer, also signed the letter. Wang told VOA she signed, “because our survival rights are under threat. Many people are willing to stand up and speak out, even if they are scared of the possible crackdown from the government.”
Wang said that she received a warning from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice.
According to Chinese Human Rights Defenders, as of the Feb. 16 deadline for the petition that Su and Wang signed, it had only 665 signatures.
Lao Dongyan, a professor specializing in criminal law at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, described Li’s action on the virus as “careful bravery and courage” on her public WeChat account.
"We worry about the consequences for speaking out, we worry about punishment from work, discrimination from colleagues, or even a visit by the police," she wrote. "To keep our jobs, we remain silent, we keep withdrawing, until we are cornered."
She added that Li’s death made her aware that the government does not tolerate speaking out on even the most basic rights. Her post, like many others, was quickly deleted.
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