So what if pride didn't really kill them? The result is you lost the chance to persuade a foreign government to change policy. And you have zero chance of doing it in the future, whether it is you or them that refuses to talk.
Do you think the protester's message was for either President Bush or Hu? Think again. They were both already quite aware of the issue. No, her goal was to hijack the event as a PR stunt. And while she attained her goal of getting it in the news, she damaged her own cause in the process. The Chinese government will never change policy if the perception is they did it in response to protests. The only chance is if a solution can be worked out that lets them initiate the change under the pretense of their own best interests. However, activists regardless of their cause rarely take this into account in their quest to 'piss people off into submission'.
A foreign government that would gift wrap a batch of human livers as a present to you?
How would a foreign government that would do something like that be persuaded to change any policy?