Memorial services held after rights lawyer’s suspicious death

Friends and supporters celebrated the life of the heroic Chinese human rights lawyer Dr. Li Baiguang at two memorial services in Midland, Texas on Mar. 21 and Washington D.C. on Mar. 22 after his untimely death under mysterious circumstances in late February.

Li checked into a hospital in Nanjing for a minor stomachache on the evening of Feb. 25. He was declared dead suddenly several hours later, at 3 a.m. local time, Feb. 26. Doctors claim he had liver failure, potentially cancer, but he had previously been in good health. Authorities also did not allow an autopsy by a reputable, outside organization to confirm the cause of death.

Li was often threatened with death or beatings by undercover police because his work as a rights lawyer opposed the corruption of the Communist Party and made him an enemy of authorities who abused power.

Throughout his career, Li represented citizens all over China who were unfairly treated by their government, such as farmers who had over 5,000 acres of land confiscated without compensation, or serving as legal representation for his fellow human rights lawyers arrested on false charges.

Li also traveled around the world to speak about the human rights situation in China during advocacy initiatives. He met with President George W. Bush on several occasions, and often testified before Congress, working with members of the Congressional Executive Commission on China and the National Endowment for Democracy.

To commemorate Dr. Li, ChinaAid named their legal defense fund the Li Baiguang Religious Freedom Defense Fund, which supports those who continue his work.