A Chinese official was allegedly drowned by Communist Party interrogators during a corruption investigation,
the BBC reported Wednesday.
Yu Qiyi, a Communist Party member himself and chief engineer of a state-owned company in Wenzhou, died April 9. His head was held in a tub of icy water by six interrogators the previous evening.
An image published on the Beijing Times website of a document recording the coroner's findings said he died after inhaling fluids that caused his lungs to malfunction.
Photos published by the Beijing Times also showed several bruises on Yu's body. Although his death was initially described as an accident, prosecutors said the interrogators will be tried for intentional assault, according to the BBC.
Yu Qiyi’s death occurred during the “shuanggui” process, an internal disciplinary procedure where officials are asked to confess wrongdoing.
He had been detained since early March during investigation of a land deal. Yu’s widow suspects that drowning was not the only form of torture he endured.
"He had many internal and external injuries after the 38 days [in detention]. Apart from the drowning exposed by the prosecution, he must have been tortured in other ways, and more people may have been involved," his wife Wu Qian said.
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