Wei Wenhua Explained

Wei Wenhua
Birth Date:3 January 1967
Birth Place:China
Death Place:Wanba, Tianmen, Hubei
Death Cause:Beaten to death by law enforcement for documenting law enforcement
Occupation:Construction manager

Wei Wenhua (; January 3, 1967[1] [2] – January 7, 2008) was the general manager of a construction company, Shuli Architectural Engineering. He was beaten to death in Wanba, Tianmen, Hubei, after attempting to film Chinese authorities clashing with villagers.[3]

Death

The conflict which Wei attempted to film centered on a garbage dump in the village that the Chinese government was using, which the village government feared to be threatening to the inhabitants' lives.[4]

The Chinese media reported that Wei was beaten by a group of thirty or more Chengguan (urban management officers) when he attempted to photograph the villagers protesting (by attempting to prevent more garbage being dumped)[3] with a mobile phone (it is not currently known what Wei was attempting to use the photographs for).[4] He was beaten inside his car for five minutes[5] and declared dead at a local hospital soon after.

Response to death

Qi Zhengjun, secretary-general of the city's government and commander of the municipal force, was fired from his position after the incident, following public outrage and government investigation into Wei's death. Twenty-four Chengguan members, as well as over one hundred other government personnel, were also questioned,[6] and four people were detained.[5]

According to Chen Junling, Wei's brother-in-law, a protest outside Tianmen's city hall the day after Wei's death comprised thousands of people.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Audra . Ang . . . 2008-01-09 . Detentions Follow Chinese Protest . 2008-01-13 .
  2. News: Associated Press via International Herald Tribune . . 2008-01-11 . China fires official amid investigation into beating death of protest onlooker . 2008-01-11 .
  3. News: CNN Online . . 2008-01-11 . Man beaten to death in China for taking pictures . 2008-01-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080113063106/http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/11/china.blogger/index.html . 2008-01-13.
  4. News: Bandurski . David . 2008 . Brutal killing of (citizen journalist) Wei Wenhua underscores the evils of China's "urban management" system . 2008-01-11 . China Media Project . . https://web.archive.org/web/20100329072911/http://cmp.hku.hk/2008/01/10/814/ . 2010-03-29 . dead .
  5. News: Audra . Ang . Detentions follow Chinese protest . AP via Seattle Post-Intelligencer . 2008-01-09 . 2008-01-13 .
  6. News: . 2008-01-11 . Official sacked for China beating . 2008-01-11 .