"We demand free speech" - that was what people on the mainland called for, after Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang died on 7 February 2020 of COVID-19.
He blew the whistle on the coronavirus, but was threatened by the police and was ordered to stop "spreading rumours."
Scroll down for the full script.
(Aired on ViuTVSix on 7 February 2020)
Full Script:
Dr Li Wenliang received a hero’s treatment after he passed away in the early hours at the age of 34.
(Soundbite, SONG SHU-LI, National Health Commission speaker)
“We are in mourning over Dr Li’s death, and we offer our deep condolences to his family.”
The ophthalmologist was the first to find out about the coronavirus before it was officially recognised.
But as a whistleblower, he was threatened by the police, who accused him of “severely disturbing public order.”
These were the papers Li had to sign last month to admit he he had been spreading “illegal and false information.”
Li’s crime was sharing with other doctors information about seven cases linked to a local seafood market that resembled SARS infections.
He later contracted the virus himself.
And at just before 3am, he succumbed to the disease he tried to warn the world about.
There’s been an outpour of tributes for Li, and growing calls for the authorities to respect free speech.
(Voxpop)
“We need to see if his death will shake up anything. I hope he did not die in vain.”
(Voxpop)
“The government should hear different opinions, and allow different opinions to exist.”
Online, topics such as “we demand free speech” trended on Chinese social media earlier today, but were quickly taken down.
The authorities rushed to offer their tributes in light of the situation, and measures that appeared to push for progress.
The nation’s anti-corruption agency said today it would probe “issues raised by people in connection with Dr Li.”
The human cost, though, continues to swell in Wuhan.
State media reports show hospital isolation wards all filled up.
And authorities are appropriating hotels and schools to quarantine patients.
- ENDS -