Jiang Yanyong: Whistleblower doctor who exposed China's Sars cover-up dies

Jiang Yanyong, a erstwhile subject surgeon who blew the whistle connected the Chinese authorities' cover-up of the 2003 Sars epidemic has died aged 91.

He died of pneumonia connected Saturday successful Beijing, household friends and Chinese-language media successful Hong Kong reported.

Dr Jiang was praised for redeeming lives aft penning a missive successful the aboriginal signifier of the Sars situation which revealed officials were playing down the threat.

But helium endured location apprehension astatine 1 constituent for his unwavering outspokenness.

The elder doc had been moving successful a Beijing infirmary successful April 2003, erstwhile helium was alarmed to perceive the Chinese wellness curate telling the nationalist determination were lone a fistful of cases of a caller deadly respiratory disease.

Dr Jiang said helium knew of much than 100 radical with Sars successful subject hospitals alone.

He sent a missive exposing the lies successful the authoritative communicative to Chinese authorities broadcasters, who ignored it. But the missive was past leaked to overseas media who published his relationship successful full.

His revelations forced the Chinese authorities to admit it had provided mendacious accusation astir the epidemic, and spurred the the World Health Organization into action.

Strict containment measures were imposed overnight, which helped incorporate the dispersed of the virus.

His actions besides led to the sacking of China's wellness curate and Beijing's politician astatine the time.

"I felt I had to uncover what was happening, not conscionable to prevention China, but to prevention the world," helium said astir his actions.

The pursuing year, with his newfound nationalist fame, helium again challenged Beijing.

He called connected the Chinese Communist Party leaders to admit its 1989 crackdown connected the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protesters had been incorrect - and hundreds- perchance thousands- of civilians had been killed.

He wrote astir however helium had been the main surgeon astatine the army's main Beijing infirmary that nighttime erstwhile the tanks rolled into the quadrate and soldiers changeable into the crowd.

In a missive helium recalled the bloody details of that night. But helium was detained soon aft it was made nationalist - and helium and his wife, Hua Zhongwei, were taken into custody.

Jiang nevertheless remained for years undeterred connected the topic. He wrote a missive to Chinese President Xi Jinping successful 2019, again denouncing the Tiananmen Square crackdown. He was reportedly placed nether de facto location apprehension aft that.

He was calved connected 4 October 1931 successful the eastbound metropolis of Hangzhou to a affluent banking household and went into medicine aft seeing his aunt dice of tuberculosis.

Over his beingness helium received respective civilian honours recognising his basal for truth.

In 2004, helium was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.

"He broke China's wont of soundlessness and forced the information of Sars into the open," the grant citation read.