Chinese mourn death of young doctor who warned about coronavirus

(Patria) – The death of a Chinese doctor who was punished for warning about the coronavirus has caused a massive wave of public anger in China, as well as demands for freedom of speech.

Li Wenliang (34), a doctor at the central hospital in Wuhan, died in the early morning hours of Friday due to complications from the coronavirus infection.

As early as December last year, Li warned his colleagues via social media about a mysterious virus that would later turn into the coronavirus epidemic. For this reason, he was arrested on January 3 and accused of 'spreading disinformation'. He was forced by the police to sign a document admitting that he had broken the law and 'seriously disrupted social order'.

His death brought to a head the anger of Chinese citizens over the authorities' initial attempt to cover up the deadly virus.

Social media is flooded with messages to the young hero who only tried to warn about the trouble that would befall China. 'We owe you an apology and gratitude', 'Good people don't live long, but evil lives for a thousand years,' read messages from grieving Chinese people on the Weibo blog, which had over one and a half billion views.

The strong public reaction attracted the attention of the Chinese leadership, and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which serves as the Communist Party's internal anti-corruption body, announced that it would send investigators to Wuhan to 'comprehensively investigate the issues raised by the public in the case of Dr. Li Wenliang'.

Chinese authorities soon deleted social media posts calling for action – fearing rebellion and street demonstrations.

In the deceased doctor's last post on the Weibo blog on February 1, it says:

- The test results are positive. Everything is clear. It is confirmed.

Li was one of eight people arrested for 'spreading disinformation' about the deadly virus epidemic. It is unknown what happened to the other seven, who are also presumed to be medical professionals, reports the British Guardian.