[4][5] In his capacity as the director of the Qimin Research Institute in Beijing,[6] Li supported farmers in seeking compensation for confiscated farmland.

He was arrested in 2004 following his involvement in the Tangshan protest, which led to international attention being paid to his plight by human rights groups.

[9] This provoked controversy, with media outlets considering his demise to be "suspicious",[3][10][11] given the Chinese government's track record on human rights.

Along with Yu Meisun and Zhao Yan, Li provided an advice to the farmers in Hebei Province who were resettled to make way for the Taolinkou reservoir, some 100 km (62 mi) east of Beijing.

[13] As a direct result of the Tangshan Protest Zhang Youren was detained, and a crackdown on rights activists was instigated by the authorities.

[17] A hallmark of the protests in both Fujian and Hebei was the immense pressure that was put on villagers by the police force to denounce Li Boguang and his fellow activists.

In March 2005, AFP reported that Li had been released on condition that he remain in Beijing and have no contact with farmers or others seeking to petition the government about abuses by local officials.

[23] Other members of the influential church include Gao Zhisheng and Yu Jie, founder of the Chinese branch of International PEN.

[26] However, this description courted controversy, with activists and media outlets alike considering his demise to be "suspicious",[11] and allegations that the government report was not credible.