Death of Sun Zhigang

The Sun Zhigang incident (Chinese: 孙志刚事件) refers to the 2003 death of the migrant worker Sun Zhigang in Guangzhou, as a result of physical abuse he suffered while being detained under China's custody and repatriation (C&R) system. The case received massive attention in media and on the Internet in China, resulting in the abolition of the C&R system by the national government.

Sun Zhigang (Chinese: 孙志刚; 1976–2003) was from Huanggang, Hubei Province. He was a graduate of Wuhan University of Science and Technology (now Wuhan Textile University). After the Chinese New Year of 2003, he left Hubei for the coastal Guangdong Province, an area of south China that depends on migrant labor. He first found a job in Shenzhen, but later went to Guangzhou to work for Daqi Garment Company.

On March 20, 2003, 27-year-old Sun Zhigang died in the medical clinic of a detention center (Chinese: 拘留所) in Guangzhou. He had been detained after being unable to produce his temporary living permit (Chinese: 暫住証) and his identity card when he was stopped by the police. He had not applied for the permit and he had forgotten to carry his ID card. His residence permit (hukou) was with his family in Hubei. He called his friends to bring his ID card. Three days later, a friend called his family to tell them of the death.

An official autopsy at Zhongshan University, authorized by Sun's family, later showed a savage beating of his body 72 hours before the death, although there were no signs of external damage. The detention center's medical clinic had reported the cause of death was a heart attack or a stroke.

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