An autopsy has been carried out on democracy activist Li Wangyang against his family's wishes.
Li died in a hospital in Shaoyang, Hunan, on Wednesday. Authorities' claims that he hung himself have been widely challenged.
In Hong Kong, at least five more deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and China's top political advisory body promised to urge Beijing to investigate Li's death.
By 7pm yesterday, 4,390 mainland and overseas supporters had signed an online petition calling for a proper investigation.
A friend of Li's, who did not want to be named, said he had met Li's sister, Li Wangling, yesterday afternoon and was told the autopsy had already been carried out in the presence of a professor from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou.
'She cried and said her brother had already been opened up, and that she was heartbroken.'