Well-known Chinese Christian human rights lawyer Li Baiguang died in a military hospital on 25 February, despite being in good health just days before, raising concerns that the authorities were involved in his death.
Li died within hours of going to hospital with a minor stomach complaint, reportedly as a result of a liver problem.
In previous months, Li had been threatened by the Chinese authorities over his defence of human rights. In October, he was abducted by Chinese officials in Zhejiang province, beaten and threatened with dismemberment for defending farmers whose land was seized by the government.
Other examples
Local and international activists fear the authorities were involved in his death, pointing to the cases of Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who died in police custody in July 2017, and political prisoner Peng Ming, who died in prison in November 2016. Like Li, Peng was in good health when his brother visited him just days before. His death certificate gave no details of the cause of death.
Li Baiguang leaves a wife and eight-year-old son. He was internationally recognised by the National Endowment for Democracy in 2008 and had several audiences with US President George W. Bush.
Despite the increasingly open persecution of Christians in China, the growth of Christianity there seems unstoppable.
Some sociologists project that the number of Chinese Christians will exceed 220 million by 2030 – making China the largest Christianised nation in the world.
