LI Wenliang
DOCTOR AND WHISTLEBLOWER
CHINA
It was Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old eye doctor at Wuhan Central Hospital, who first sounded the alarm about a possible coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan in a private WeChat discussion group on 30 December 2019. Within days, he and seven other doctors were being questioned for “spreading false rumours.” His death from the coronavirus in the early hours of 7 February triggered an outcry in China and the hashtag “We want freedom of expression” was used in 2 million posts before being censored.
Published on
