Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- Friends of a high-profile Chinese dissident found dead in his hospital room Wednesday slammed official claims that he hanged himself as `` insulting '' and `` ridiculous . '' Huang Lihong told CNN that he had visited long-time labor rights activist Li Wangyang at Daxiang District Hospital in Shaoyang , Hunan province , a few days before his death on June 6 . `` He was in good spirits ... There was absolutely no sign showing he wanted to take his own life . He was also listening to my radio and told his sister to buy him one , too , '' Huang said . Li was blind , deaf and had trouble walking after spending more than 20 years in prison following the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 . He was one of China 's first labor rights activists and was jailed shortly after the June 4 massacre for urging workers to strike , according to Human Rights in China ( HRIC ) . After spending 11 years in jail , Li was released in 2000 only to be imprisoned again in 2001 for doggedly petitioning Shaoyang authorities to pay his medical expenses for injuries suffered through torture in prison . They refused and he was sentenced to a further 10 years for `` incitement to subvert state power , '' according to HRIC . He was released last May but his family said he had been under 24-hour police surveillance in hospital . `` It 's unbelievable that he could hang himself . He 's weak , could n't really walk down from the second floor on his own , '' his friend Zhou Zhirong told CNN . Friends described a man who was unwavering in his determination to fight for his beliefs . `` It 's an insult to say someone like him killed himself this way , '' Huang said . `` Li Wangyang said numerous times to me and others that he would keep fighting till the end of his life . He never quits . It 's ridiculous even to think he would commit suicide and none of his friends or family believes what the police say now . He was killed by others for sure , '' he said . Li 's brother-in-law Zhao Baozhu told HRIC that hospital staff phoned him and his wife , Li 's sister Li Wangling , just after 6 a.m. on June 6 to tell them that Li had committed suicide . Zhao said they rushed to the hospital and found Li 's body `` hanging by the window . '' He noted that Li 's feet were still on the ground . `` They [ hospital staff ] did not let us get near him , and did not let us take photos . Then they dragged his body away , '' HRIC said in statement on its website . `` I 've never witnessed a suicide like this , '' said Mi Ling Tsui , communications director at HRIC . `` It raises questions . How do you hang yourself with your feet on the ground ? '' Despite the family 's claims that they were n't allowed to take photos , three images of Li said to have been taken after his death have been published on Boxun , a U.S.-based Chinese-language news website . Two photos show Li standing by a window with a knotted sheet around his neck , apparently tied to bars on a window above . A third photo shows Li 's feet firmly on the ground . He 's still wearing slippers . CNN tried repeatedly to contact Daxiang District Hospital where Li died but no one answered the phone . An official who answered the phone at the publicity office of Shaoyang Public Security Station said he had n't heard of Li 's case and advised calling another number . Attempts to call other government offices also failed . It 's not known how long Li had been in hospital before his death . HRIC said only that he was being treated for his `` deteriorating health . '' Zhao told HRIC that authorities started monitoring Li on May 22 . Friends said the phones of Li 's sister Li Wangling and brother-in-law Zhao Baozhu do n't appear to be working . They say they believe the couple has been detained in a hotel near the hospital where Li died . Earlier , Li 's family and rights campaigners called for an immediate investigation and full autopsy to determine his cause of death . `` The Chinese authorities must thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding Li Wangyang 's death and take seriously the claims made by his family and friends that this was not suicide , '' said Donna Guest , Asia Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International . In the hours after Li 's death , a petition appeared online urging his `` suicide '' to be investigated by authorities outside Shaoyang province and for the findings to be made public . It was started by Hong Kong-based journalist Bei Feng , Chinese economist Xia Yeliang and literary scholar Wu Renhua . At the time of writing , more than 2,000 people had added their names , including many from who listed their locations China . Some entries written in Mandarin listed their location as `` hell . '' Liu Jiayi of Hong Kong wrote : `` Comrade Li Wangyang , you perservered for more than 20 years , no one believes that you killed yourself ! But now you can leave the domain of the Chinese Communist dictatorship . You are finally free ! I wish you a good journey ! '' Chen of Beijing wrote : `` Independently investigate and track down the true murderers . Let the world know who persecuted and murdered Li Wangyang , and bring them to trial . '' Li 's name recently appeared in a list of `` political prisoners '' who had been detained as of the end of 2011 in the U.S. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices . CNN 's Shao Tian contributed to this report .
Friends of Chinese activist Li Wangyang slam suggestions he committed suicide . Li was found hanged in his hospital room in Shaoyang despite being under surveillance . Family members are calling for an official investigation into his death . Li spent more than 20 years in jail after the Tiananmen Square crackdown .