Qian Yunhui

Who was Qian Yunhui?

Qian Yunhui, a 53-year-old elected and popular eastern Zhejiang province village head who had a long history of petitioning against alleged abuses by local government, died on December 25, 2010 after being crushed by the front wheel of a truck loaded with crushed rocks for a nearby building site operated by the Yueqing Electric Power Plant. Rumors emerged stating that Qian was held on the ground by four men in security personnel uniforms while the truck was driven slowly over him. A government press conference a week later announced that Qian had died in an ordinary traffic accident, struck and killed crossing the road. An eyewitness by the name of Qian Chengwei said that he saw that four uniformed men held the victim down on the ground while the truck went on top of him. The eyewitness had since been arrested and detained by the police. Other eyewitnesses including villager Huang Diyan, claimed she saw four uniformed men with gloves struggle with Qian and then put his body under the front tire by force. The truck's owner/driver, Fei Liangyu was detained by the police, along with other villagers who questioned the police's investigation, including Qian's daughter.