Families of people who died from the coronavirus in China’s former epicentre Wuhan say they have been monitored and silenced by local authorities, and are calling for a meeting with World Health Organization investigators.
Key points:
- Families of Wuhan victims say they are monitored by authorities and warned against speaking to foreign media
- Some are marking the first anniversary of a loved one’s death due to COVID-19
- China denies the WHO expert team is conducting an “investigation”, saying it has to follow “the prior consensus”
Multiple residents say they are desperate for answers about the origin of COVID-19 after the death of their loved ones, although Wuhan hasn’t reported any new deaths from the virus since April last year.
The residents also told the ABC they demanded officials who covered up the city’s initial outbreaks be held to account, as their “lies and obtuseness” led to the spread of the then-unknown virus in the city.
Zhang Hai, 51, a Wuhan resident who now lives in the southern city of Shenzhen, last week marked the first anniversary of his father’s death.
Mr Zhang’s father, a patriotic veteran who was honoured for his involvement in China’s first nuclear test in the 1960s, contracted COVID-19 in a military hospital in Wuhan after receiving bone-fracture surgery in mid-January.
One week later, the 77-year-old passed away due to respiratory failure caused by COVID-19, according to an official death certificate seen by the ABC.
“My father, a very patriotic soldier, had devoted his youth to the nation … but he was killed by COVID-19 in his later life.
“The epidemic would never happen if the Government had truly put the people’s interest [as their] first priority.”
Mr Zhang said he was extremely keen to meet with World Health Organization (WHO) experts who were in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the deadly virus.
Last Friday, the WHO said on its official Twitter account that the team would visit hospitals, virus laboratories and markets in Wuhan, and speak with early responders and some of the first COVID-19 patients.
However, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, denied the WHO’s field work was an “investigation”, and said it had to follow “the prior consensus”.
“The exchanges and cooperation on origin-tracing between WHO experts and Chinese professionals are part of a global study, not an investigation,” Mr Zhao said.
But Mr Zhang said he wouldn’t trust visits organised and limited by the Chinese Government, and thought the information patients gave could be “highly suspicious”.
“They could have been trained many months ago, and been ordered to stage and repeat the Government’s narrative,” Mr Zhang said.
“I am highly concerned that the WHO experts in Wuhan are not a match for these counterfeiters.”
Families fight against being silenced
Mr Zhang had established a chat group on Chinese social media platform WeChat, where he united more than 100 Wuhan residents who lost their families during the epidemic and wanted an explanation.
The WeChat group was censored on January 16, and three members were temporarily banned from posting comments, according to multiple group members who spoke to the ABC.
Three families told the ABC they were warned to keep silent, and their daily activities were closely monitored by authorities in Wuhan. They requested that the ABC not disclose their identities, in order to avoid persecution.
“[I had] police interviews, cameras pointing at home, and dismissal from work. They pressured my families, stalked my activities, which is completely unscrupulous,” one parent, who lost their only son, told the ABC.
“[I am told] don’t contact the foreign media, because it will be used by anti-China forces, which is detrimental to our country.
“I just want everyone to know that the Government is a murderer for hiding the epidemic.
The ABC has approached WeChat for comment.
Another family told the ABC they felt very scared to ask for an answer from the WHO’s investigation, because their demands had been ignored and denied by authorities since last year.
“I hope the WHO experts can understand that victims and their families want an explanation from the Government … but we feel very hopeless,” they said.
The ABC has approached the WHO and one expert in the investigation team for comment.
Lawsuit rejected by court
Mr Zhang ignores almost every phone call from strangers on his phone, because he believes it could be ‘greetings’ from authorities, asking him to stop speaking out online.
But he continued to voice his views, because he feels deep grief after his father’s death.
He is using his personal experience, he said, to highlight how China’s media censorship has helped to cover up other social justice issues after the epidemic.
Last November, Mr Zhang’s lawsuit against the Government of both Wuhan city and Hubei province was rejected by the Hubei Higher People’s Court, which told Mr Zhang he was ineligible to sue the Government.
The Wuhan Government hung up on the ABC when called for comment and did not respond to emails. The Hubei Higher People’s Court was contacted several times but did not respond.
Mr Zhang said he had requested the court provide an official notice of not filing the case, but was rejected by the court.
His story was never reported by media in mainland China, and five of his accounts on Chinese social media Weibo were permanently banned. Weibo has been approached for comment.
“I am an ordinary citizen in this country, but I have my dignity and rights,” Mr Zhang said.
Mr Zhang said the WHO’s investigation was the “only hope” for him. He said he wants the experts to understand “how significant their work and responsibility” is for the families of over two million victims around the world.
“I will never forgive myself if I don’t speak out for my father, who could be a victim forever,” he said.
