Wuhan police on Thursday revoked a reprimand order against Li Wenliang, the "whistleblower" doctor in Wuhan who died from COVID-19, and two police officers involved in handling Li's case were punished for dereliction of duty, following recommendations of a closely-watched investigation by China's top supervisory body.
The investigation was centered on Li's case, which has gained widespread public attention and in some cases has been highly politicized and used in attacks on China's political system, and the release of the findings on Thursday showed China's commitment to uncover the truth, even as it remains wary of ulterior motives by some forces to further spin the case into a political attack.
The investigation team sent by the central government on February 7 following Li's death also asked the local supervisory body to supervise the rectification of the matter, hold relevant personnel accountable, and timely announce the results.
The team also looked into the process of emergency treatment for Li, who died on February 7. Confusion mounted over Li's death, with some people questioning whether authorities attempted to delay announcing his death.
Li, one of the eight "whistleblowers" who tried to warn other medics of the coronavirus outbreak but was reprimanded by local police, died on February 7 after contracting the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19).
Wuhan police withdrew the reprimand order against Li and apologized to his family on Thursday, saying it would earnestly learn lessons from the case and improve work to ensure fair and civilized law enforcement.
The investigation also revealed details on how Li contracted the disease, his treatment, the process of emergency treatment as well as compensation, which was aired on Xinwen Lianbo, a daily news program produced by China Central Television, on Thursday, which also showed the high priority granted to the matter, echoing public opinion.
As an ophthalmologist who worked for Wuhan Central Hospital where he was also treated for the coronavirus infection, Li obtained a patient report suggesting positive SARS-like coronavirus signs on December 30.
Li first shared the information in a group chat, saying that there had been seven confirmed cases of "SARS," according to one of his Weibo posts. On January 3, local police reprimanded him for spreading "online rumors" and required him to sign a letter of reprimand.
It turned out that the information they spread online alerting the public of the risks of people-to-people transmission was accurate, and the death toll of the disease has already exceeded that of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the viral respiratory illness that battered China in the spring of 2003.
Investigators conducted face-to-face and phone interviews with relevant personnel from various Wuhan government agencies, including the municipal Party committee, the municipal government, press office, health commission, the police bureau and the internet regulator, the statement said. Investigators also visited the hospital, collected medical records and 240 other employment documents.
The probe's findings showed that Li did not deliberately intend to disturb public order in posting the information on Wechat. But Li passed on the information without verification and before relevant authorities and experts had an accurate understanding of the pneumonia and part of that information was inaccurate, the investigation showed.
Supervisors from Li's hospital talked to him on December 31 after he shared the information, and he continued to work normally. Apart from seeking information, the hospital did not take any disciplinary measure against Li or revoke his license, the findings showed.
Until January 10, Li had worked at ophthalmologist wards, then he was treated in the hospital after he was infected with COVID-19.
Doctors who took part in Li's emergency treatment were cited in the investigation report as saying that Li, as a young doctor, was also their colleague, and no one wanted to give up on his treatment as long as there was hope. The doctors tried their best to save his life.
Medical experts consulted said that the treatment of Li was standardized and doctors adjusted drugs and treatment measures based on Li's condition. The hospital sought consent from Li and his family for important medical treatment procedures throughout the process, the findings showed.
Reflection and holding accountability
Anger and grief flooded Chinese social media following Li's death, and many people hailed the man as a national hero and expressed indignation toward Wuhan authorities' handling of his case.
The probe only addressed issues related to Li. But it does not mean that the probe would stop there. Authorities would continue to probe other relevant matters such as inadequate epidemic response at the early stages of the outbreak and hold accountability, according to observers.
The public may expect more people involved in Li's case to be punished. And those who should also be held accountable, should include public security officials, such as the police station director and the branch bureau director, observers said.
Relevant officials of the local health commission, officials of the Wuhan Central Hospital where Li worked should also be held accountable, Qin Qianhong, a constitutional law professor at Wuhan University, told the Global Times.
"Take Wuhan police for example. They should introspect on how to define rumormongering after they obtain relevant information," Zhan Zhongle, a law professor at Peking University, said.
Authorities considered Li's death a fatal work accident, offering a compensation of 785,000 yuan ($110,276) and funeral grant of 36,800 yuan.
Insurance companies also granted Li's family a donation insurance for frontline medical staff fighting the COVID-19, and the Wuhan Central Hospital asked staff to donate to Li and his family. The Red Cross branch in Wuhan also received donations and gave them to his family. The hospital also transferred a donation from Beijing to his relatives, the findings showed.
There won't be any follow-up for state compensation for Li, because the admonished did not do him any physical harm, nor cause his death, Zhan noted.
Media had cleared his name, so the withdrawal of admonition was expected, he said.
The top supervisory authority said on Thursday in the investigation report that some hostile forces, with the aim of attacking the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government by labeling Li as "hero against the system" and "awakened," contradicted the facts.
The grief expressed over Li's case has been exploited by secessionists and foreign entities, which have spread anti-China sentiment on social media. It has become a source to share emotions and even outrage over Wuhan's handling of COVID-19 in the early stage, with some maliciously intending to use Li's death to incite "social movements" in China.
The US Senate passed a resolution honoring Li on March 3, calling for transparency and cooperation from the Chinese government. However, observers warned that foreign entities and forces are exploiting the grief the public expressed over Li's death and spreading anti-government rhetoric on social media.
But Li, as a CPC member, shared the determination and spirit of self-sacrifice found among many other CPC members who are now fighting the tough battle against the disease, observers said
Li, as a CPC member, was not against the system, while some forces with ulterior intentions, who intend to incite public opinion and stir up emotions, are doomed to fail, the authority noted.
The investigation judged the matter on its merits, which should not be interpreted with more political implications, observers said.
Between February 7 to March 12, the central government sent four teams to investigate different social events that attracted extensive public attention amid the COVID-19 outbreak, of which the findings from three teams have been released. The probe on Li's case took the longest as it was the most complicated one, they said.
According to Article 15 of Chapter III of the Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China, Chinese supervision organs are to conduct supervision of personnel engaged in managing public education, scientific research, culture and healthcare, sports and other such units.
The probe into Li's death and relevant matters is a "comprehensive investigation," as the team not only needs to investigate whether there was a mistake in the medical treatment of Li, but also needs to look into whether there was a deliberate concealment behind of the incident, or any abuse of power, in addition to failing to fulfill responsibilities among officials in epidemic prevention work, Ren Jianming, a professor at the School of Public Policy and Management at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times.
Revoking the administrative decision restores Li's reputation, sending a clear message that when the virus battle nearly comes to an end in China, the country is expected to enter a new phase of introspection, hold accountability, and fix its loopholes, which echoes public sentiments amid great challenges, Qin said.
"The investigation should not be deemed merely as delivering a result, but should serve as a lesson for all," Zhan stressed.