by Aisling Ashbery

Created on: January 04, 2011

Chinese police and protesters clashed on Saturday after tensions surrounding a local man’s controversial death came to a head.

Qian Yunhui died on Christmas Day. He was crushed beneath a lorry in the street, resulting in his decapitation. CNN reported that the official cause of death was listed as a traffic accident, but some residents are skeptical.

Yunhui was a local village leader and activist who stood up to officials when they tried to execute a “land grab” on local farmers. A land grab is when the government tricks low-income residents into giving up their land for free. Yunhui was leading a fight to get the government to offer proper compensation to the farmers who were tricked in his village.

Yunhui’s courage to stand up to China’s powerful government for the benefit of poor citizens made him something of a local hero. This made the news of his death even more devastating. Circumstances surrounding the death have led to controversy.

Spero News cited a Nanfeng Daily report in which witnesses claimed seeing three men in masks hold Yunhui down as the lorry ran him over. The only camera that could have caught the event on tape was disabled, reportedly because of technical difficulties. Still, grisly photos of Yunhui’s body crushed beneath the vehicle were released, and soon went viral.

Internet speculation about the death was rampant, though there were reports of officials quietly deleting controversial discussion about the death.  Because of public outcry, there was another official investigation, but the conclusion remained the same: the official reason for the death of Qian Yunhui is listed as a traffic accident.

It was emotions stemming from these events that led to the clash of police and protesters on Saturday.   Supporters of Qian Yunhui planned a protest to take place at an intersection near the location where the death took place. Police were reportedly dispatched to stop the protest, and violence broke out.

Some witnesses told CNN that protestors were throwing rocks at police, and that police responded with violence against the protestors. Some protestors were arrested, according to the witnesses. The incident wasn’t reported via Chinese media.

The truth is at the heart of this story, but unfortunately it’s unlikely that anyone will know for sure what the truth is. Even if Qian Yunhui did die in a tragic accident, the way that officials have tried to silence skeptical voices means that the Chinese people will likely be asking questions for a long time. Right now, it doesn’t seem that the Chinese government is willing to give them open answers.

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