Members of the African community in Guangzhou in China were protesting the release of the body of a member of the African community who died while he was in police custody. The community was seeking to have an independent autopsy done in order to confirm the cause of death of the man.

According to Global Voices, approximately 200,000 Africans live in Guangzhou. The African residents have been reportedly subjected to a campaign to remove them from China. Many Africans have been said to be unable to renew their visas and are marked with the status of “illegal residents.”

In regard to this particular protest situation, the Chinese police say that the African man who was in their custody died after he slipped into a coma. Their autopsy reports claims that there were no signs of bodily injury. However, conflicting reports from community members say that the man was beaten to death.