今天是李旺阳“被自杀”13周年纪念日，他是湖南工人，两次入狱22年、被酷刑致残，出狱后仍坚持为“六四”与民主发声。他说：“砍头我也不后悔。”
李旺阳，1950年生，湖南邵阳市陶瓷厂、玻璃厂、水泥厂工人。八十年代创办《资江民报》，组织“邵阳市工人互助会”，倡导工人自治。
1989年六四前后，他成立“邵阳市工人自治联合会”（简称“工自联”），组织悼念、张贴大字报、声援北京学运。6月9日被捕，后以“反革命宣传煽动罪”判刑13年。
狱中遭长期酷刑，转押多所监狱与劳改农场，健康严重恶化。2000年减刑后提前出狱；2001年再因接受境外采访和生活资助，被以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”判刑10年。
再次入狱期间，李旺阳双目近盲、双耳全聋、牙齿被撬、几乎瘫痪。妹妹李旺玲也因接受媒体采访被劳教三年。
2011年出狱后，被送至医院治疗。2012年5月，他接受香港有线新闻采访，坚定表示：“为了中国的民主，我就是砍头也不回头。”
6月6日，李旺阳被发现“吊死”在病房窗边，双脚着地、手扶窗台，无遗书。中共仓促宣称“自杀”，抢走遗体迅速火化，家属毫无知情权。
6月10日，香港万人上街，呼吁查明真相。中共一度宣布刑事调查，但2012年7月，湖南省委书记周强仍称“证据确凿，属自杀”。
此后，其妹李旺玲与妹夫赵宝珠遭强力监控、失联数月。港媒调查采访期间，记者也被拘留长达44小时。
李旺阳先生为民主自由奉献了一生，我们不能忘记。
Today marks the 13th anniversary of the suspicious death of Li Wangyang — a workers’ leader, democracy fighter, and human rights defender.
Li Wangyang was a factory worker from Hunan province. He spent 22 years in prison across two sentences, and was left blind, deaf, and nearly paralyzed due to torture. After his release, he remained outspoken about the 1989 Tiananmen Movement and the need for democracy. He once said: “Even if I’m beheaded, I won’t regret it.”
Born in 1950, Li worked at ceramic, glass, and cement factories in Shaoyang, Hunan. In the 1980s, influenced by the Democracy Wall movement, he co-founded the Zi River People’s Bulletin and the “Shaoyang Workers’ Mutual Assistance Association,” advocating for worker autonomy.
Around the 1989 Tiananmen protests, he organized the “Shaoyang Autonomous Workers’ Federation,” led public mourning for massacre victims, and voiced support for Beijing students. On June 9, 1989, he was arrested and later sentenced to 13 years for “counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement.”
He suffered long-term torture in multiple prisons and labor camps, which severely damaged his health. Though released early in 2000 due to deteriorating condition, he was arrested again in 2001 for speaking to foreign media and accepting financial aid. He was sentenced to 10 more years for “inciting subversion of state power.”
During his second imprisonment, Li went almost blind and deaf, lost multiple teeth from force-feeding, and became nearly paralyzed. His sister, Li Wangling, was also punished with three years in a labor camp for media interviews.
After his release in 2011, Li was hospitalized. On May 22, 2012, he gave a bold interview to Hong Kong Cable TV, saying: “I won’t back down, even if I’m executed.” The interview aired on June 2 and attracted international attention.
Just days later, on June 6, 2012, Li was found hanged in his hospital room. His feet touched the ground, his hands rested on the window ledge, and no suicide note was found. Authorities rushed to declare suicide, confiscated the body, and cremated it without family consent.
On June 10, tens of thousands marched in Hong Kong demanding an investigation. Under pressure, the Chinese government announced a criminal probe, but by July 2012, Hunan officials concluded “it was suicide, with conclusive evidence.”
Afterwards, Li’s sister and brother-in-law were placed under heavy surveillance and forcibly disappeared for months. Journalists who investigated the case were also detained by local authorities for up to 44 hours.
Li Wangyang dedicated his entire life to freedom and democracy.
We must not forget him.
