The family of a Chinese protester who died in police detention have rejected official claims of a heart attack and vowed to continue a bloody three-month struggle for their land.
Relatives said they were unable to prepare a funeral for Xue Jinbo – a butcher from Wukan village in Guangdong province – because police refused to hand over the body after showing them that he had died on Monday.
"They told us he died from a cardiac arrest. But that is not true. He has never had heart disease," said a family member who asked to remain anonymous. "There were bruises on his hands, feet and forehead. We believe he was beaten to death."
On Monday, thousands of villagers participated in memorial rites for Xue, who was detained the previous week and accused of inciting riots that have erupted sporadically in the village.
His supporters claim the 43-year-old was merely a negotiator in their claim against the Shanwei city government. Villagers say the authorities have illegally seized land worth close to £100m for development and have dispatched thousands of paramilitaries to lockdown the residents.
"The main streets are blocked. Some villagers have problems buying rice," said one resident. Access remains possible via back roads and the internet is working again after being blocked on Monday.
The case has generated strong interest among China's online community, but many critical comments on microblogs and chatrooms have been blocked. The Southern Daily newspaper noted that Xue's family disagreed with the police account of his death, which is being investigated by the Shanwei people's procurator, it reported.
The Wukan unrest began in September when a furious mob ransacked a government office, sparking a brutal response by police. Last month, 4,000 villagers demonstrated peacefully but the violence returned when police used teargas to disperse villagers armed with staves. Five locals were detained.
Guangdong – which borders Hong Kong – is one of the most industrialised and wealthy provinces in China, but it has also been at the forefront of violent protests over land.
The government has stopped issuing statistics on the number of "mass incidents" in China, but a recent study by scholars at Tsinghua University estimated there were more than 180,000 in 2010. Other academics say the figure is about half that.
Zhou Yongkang, China's public security chief, has warned that unrest may become more common in future as economic growth starts to slow. Meanwhile, Wukan looks set to remain a flashpoint. Roadside protest banners accuse corrupt officials of seizing land. Villagers say Xue's death only adds to their resolve. "We will not give up. All we want is justice," said a relative. "Before he died, Xue wrote a note saying 'there is no truth inside China'. I think he was right."
Additional reporting by Cecily Huang
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