安徽籍务工女子在京坠亡引发民众聚集示威

A public demonstration over the unexplained death of a young woman brought parts of southern Beijing to a standstill yesterday in a rare large protest that highlights the social pressures facing China’s leaders, writes Leslie Hook in Beijing.

昨天，一位年轻女子不明原因的死亡引发公众示威，令北京城南部分地区陷入瘫痪状态。这场罕见的大规模抗议凸显中国领导人所面临的社会压力。

The protest was sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman named as Ms Yuan, from Anhui province, who worked in the Jingwen Clothing Mall and was found dead on May 3 after falling from the top of the building.

抗议的导火索是一名22岁的袁姓女子之死。这名安徽籍女子在京温服装商城工作，5月3日被发现从楼顶坠落身亡。

Beijing’s Public Security Bureau said in a statement it had found nothing suspicious at the scene of her death or in the autopsy, adding that it was still “conducting further work”.

北京市公安局在一份声明中表示，在事发现场和尸检中均未发现疑点，并称警方“正开展进一步工作”。

However, her relatives believe she may have been raped and killed. They suspect a cover-up by police, according to accounts of the protest on the microblogging website Weibo.

但死者亲属认为她可能被奸杀。新浪微博上对抗议事件的描述表示，死者亲属怀疑警方隐瞒事实。