Chen Guangcheng
Encyclopedia
Chen Guangcheng is a blind
civil rights
activist in the People's Republic of China who drew international attention to human rights
issues in rural areas. He was placed under house arrest from September 2005 to March 2006 after talking to Time
magazine about the forced abortion cases he investigated in Linyi Prefecture
, Shandong Province. Authorities formally arrested him in June 2006 for destruction of property and assembling a crowd to disrupt traffic. During his trial, Chen's lawyers were forbidden access to the court, leaving him without a proper defender. On August 24, 2006, Chen was sentenced to four years and three months for "damaging property and organising a mob to disturb traffic"
Chen was released from prison on September 8, 2010 after serving his full sentence, but remains under "ruanjin" or soft detention
at his home in Dongshigu. Chen and his wife were reportedly beaten shortly after a human rights group released a video of their home under intense police surveillance on February 9, 2011.
, where family planning officials from Linyi
municipal authorities in Shandong
forced thousands of people to undergo sterilization or to abort pregnancies. Chinese national regulations prohibit such brutal measures. The officials were also accused of detaining and torturing relatives of people who had escaped from the forced measures.
Chen filed a class-action lawsuit on the women's behalf against Linyi officials and drew attention to the plight of the villagers. He also traveled to Beijing in June 2005 to seek redress. Although the suit he filed was rejected, the incident was publicised on the Internet and by the Time
magazine who interviewed Chen. This prompted the National Population and Family Planning Commission
to launch an investigation in August 2005. A month later, the Commission announced that several Linyi officials were detained.
reported that Chen was beaten up during a clash between villagers and officials. Three lawyers who were attempting to meet Chen were also beaten by unidentified men.
According to a report by the Washington Post, a campaign was launched by local officials to portray Chen as working for "foreign anti-China forces" and that he received foreign funding. Chinese authorities often use this rhetoric to sway public opinion in similar cases even though it is not often true.
According to an article in Time
by Hannah Beech, “Chen Guangcheng, A Blind Man with Legal Vision,” Chen met with Time reporters to discuss the forced abortion cases when he thought authorities would take action. "Yet three hours after meeting with TIME in Beijing to discuss the issue, Chen was shoved into an unmarked vehicle by public-security agents from his hometown. They bundled him back to his village, where he was held under house arrest for months. Despite the commission's vow, only one official has been detained. Meanwhile, thugs routinely showed up at Chen's home to rough him up." In April, Time
named Chen one of the 100 people most influential in shaping our world.
Chen was removed from his house in March 2006 and was formally detained in June 2006 by Yinan county official. He was scheduled to stand trial on July 17, 2006 on charges of destruction of property and assembling a crowd to disrupt traffic., but this was delayed at the request of the prosecution.
According to Radio Free Asia and Chinese Rights Defenders (CRD), a network of Chinese citizens who are committed to safeguarding rights and their international volunteer supporters, prosecution delayed the trial because a crowd of Chen supporters gathered outside the courthouse. With only a few days notice, authorities rescheduled Chen's trial for August 18, 2006.
On the eve of his trial, all three of his lawyers were detained by Yinan police. Two were released after being questioned and their phones confiscated. Xu Zhiyong of the Yitong Law Firm
, perhaps the lawyer with the most knowledge of the forced abortion cases Chen was working on, was detained after authorities accused him of stealing a man's wallet. He was not released until the trial concluded on the 18th. None of Chen's lawyers were allowed in the courtroom for the trial. Only Chen's brothers were allowed inside. Not even Chen's wife was allowed to hear proceedings. Instead, authorities appointed their own public defender for Chen just before the trial began. As a result, the defender had not even read the case report before he walked into the courtroom. The defender did little to help his new client's case and did not raise any objection to the proceedings or to any of the evidence presented, despite Chen's protest in the court. The trial lasted just two hours. On August 24, 2006, Chen was sentenced to four years and three months for "damaging property and organising a mob to disturb traffic".
On November 30, 2006, Yinan County court in Shandong province upheld its decision to sentence blind activist Chen Guangcheng to more than four years in prison after he documented claims of forced abortions, the activist's brother said.
The decision was issued in a 30-minute session, where no witnesses or evidence were presented, said Chen Guangfu, the only family member allowed to be present during the proceedings.
On January 12, 2007, the Linyi Intermediate Court in Shandong Province rejected Chen's final appeal. The same court had overturned his original conviction in December 2006 citing lack of evidence. However, Chen was convicted in a second trial on identical charges and given an identical sentence by the Yinan court.
. He and his wife, however, have attempted to communicate via video tape and written communication. The government has responded by beating Chen and his wife, confiscating documents and communication devices in their possession, cutting off electric power, and installing metal sheets over the windows of his house.
In 2011 the New York Times reported that waves of supporters and admirers have attempted to penetrate the security detail that monitors Chen's home to visit him, but have been turned away. In some instance, his supporters have been pummeled, beaten, or robbed by security agents. Would-be visitors include journalist, European diplomats, lawyers, and intellectuals.
as he is currently in prison. His wife, Yuan Weijing, was en route to Manila to receive the award on her husband's behalf but was prevented from boarding the plane. 256 Asians have received it since 1957. Each awardee receives a certificate, a medallion and an undisclosed cash prize. The award, often called the "Asian Nobel Award", was bestowed for "his irrepressible passion for justice in leading ordinary Chinese citizens to assert their legitimate rights under the law." His family and human rights groups in China called on United Nations human rights bodies, the media, the international community, and other governments to study the case and lobby on his behalf. Chen Guangcheng's story caught global attention. On April 30, 2006, he was in Time Magazine's list of "2006's Top 100 People Who Shape Our World" in the category of "Heroes and Pioneers."
On August 24, 2007, AIDS activist Hu Jia
reported that Yuan Weijing's passport had been revoked and her mobile phone confiscated by Chinese authorities as she attempted to pass the security cordon at Beijing airport. Weijing was on her way to the Philippines
to attend the Magsaysay Award ceremony and receive the prize on behalf of her husband, Chen Guangcheng.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist in the People's Republic of China who drew international attention to human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
issues in rural areas. He was placed under house arrest from September 2005 to March 2006 after talking to Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine about the forced abortion cases he investigated in Linyi Prefecture
Linyi
Linyi is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The largest prefecture-level city in Shandong both by area and total population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo to the north, Tai'an to the northwest, Jining to the...
, Shandong Province. Authorities formally arrested him in June 2006 for destruction of property and assembling a crowd to disrupt traffic. During his trial, Chen's lawyers were forbidden access to the court, leaving him without a proper defender. On August 24, 2006, Chen was sentenced to four years and three months for "damaging property and organising a mob to disturb traffic"
Chen was released from prison on September 8, 2010 after serving his full sentence, but remains under "ruanjin" or soft detention
Soft detention
Soft detention is a form of house arrest used in the People's Republic of China to control political dissidents. It has its roots in the practices of the Chinese Empire which employed it as early as the Northern Song Dynasty when those such as Su Shi who criticized the emperor were subjected to it...
at his home in Dongshigu. Chen and his wife were reportedly beaten shortly after a human rights group released a video of their home under intense police surveillance on February 9, 2011.
Early life
Due to a severe fever, he lost his sight at an early age. He was illiterate until 1994 when he was enrolled by Qingdao High School for the Blind and graduated in 1998. He studied in Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from 1998 to 2001. After graduation he returned to his home region and found a job as a blind masseur in the hospital of Yinan county. Nonetheless, he managed to audit in law classes and learned enough to aid his fellow villagers when they sought his assistance.Activism
In 2005, Chen exposed harsh illegal measures by local authorities when enforcing the one-child policyOne-child policy
The one-child policy refers to the one-child limitation applying to a minority of families in the population control policy of the People's Republic of China . The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy...
, where family planning officials from Linyi
Linyi
Linyi is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The largest prefecture-level city in Shandong both by area and total population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo to the north, Tai'an to the northwest, Jining to the...
municipal authorities in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
forced thousands of people to undergo sterilization or to abort pregnancies. Chinese national regulations prohibit such brutal measures. The officials were also accused of detaining and torturing relatives of people who had escaped from the forced measures.
Chen filed a class-action lawsuit on the women's behalf against Linyi officials and drew attention to the plight of the villagers. He also traveled to Beijing in June 2005 to seek redress. Although the suit he filed was rejected, the incident was publicised on the Internet and by the Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine who interviewed Chen. This prompted the National Population and Family Planning Commission
National Population and Family Planning Commission
National Population and Family Planning Commission is the state agency responsible for population and family planning in the People's Republic of China.-Administration:The agency is managed by a minister and four vice ministers.-List of Chair:...
to launch an investigation in August 2005. A month later, the Commission announced that several Linyi officials were detained.
Detention and trial
However, Linyi authorities placed Chen under house arrest in September 2005. Radio Free AsiaRadio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
reported that Chen was beaten up during a clash between villagers and officials. Three lawyers who were attempting to meet Chen were also beaten by unidentified men.
According to a report by the Washington Post, a campaign was launched by local officials to portray Chen as working for "foreign anti-China forces" and that he received foreign funding. Chinese authorities often use this rhetoric to sway public opinion in similar cases even though it is not often true.
According to an article in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
by Hannah Beech, “Chen Guangcheng, A Blind Man with Legal Vision,” Chen met with Time reporters to discuss the forced abortion cases when he thought authorities would take action. "Yet three hours after meeting with TIME in Beijing to discuss the issue, Chen was shoved into an unmarked vehicle by public-security agents from his hometown. They bundled him back to his village, where he was held under house arrest for months. Despite the commission's vow, only one official has been detained. Meanwhile, thugs routinely showed up at Chen's home to rough him up." In April, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
named Chen one of the 100 people most influential in shaping our world.
Chen was removed from his house in March 2006 and was formally detained in June 2006 by Yinan county official. He was scheduled to stand trial on July 17, 2006 on charges of destruction of property and assembling a crowd to disrupt traffic., but this was delayed at the request of the prosecution.
According to Radio Free Asia and Chinese Rights Defenders (CRD), a network of Chinese citizens who are committed to safeguarding rights and their international volunteer supporters, prosecution delayed the trial because a crowd of Chen supporters gathered outside the courthouse. With only a few days notice, authorities rescheduled Chen's trial for August 18, 2006.
On the eve of his trial, all three of his lawyers were detained by Yinan police. Two were released after being questioned and their phones confiscated. Xu Zhiyong of the Yitong Law Firm
Yitong Law Firm
Yitong Law Firm is a law firm in the People's Republic of China engaged in defense of human rights. Its clients include Hu Jia and Chen Guangcheng. In February 2009 Chinese authorities announced that the firm would be shut down for six months, ostensibly because an unlicensed lawyer was practicing...
, perhaps the lawyer with the most knowledge of the forced abortion cases Chen was working on, was detained after authorities accused him of stealing a man's wallet. He was not released until the trial concluded on the 18th. None of Chen's lawyers were allowed in the courtroom for the trial. Only Chen's brothers were allowed inside. Not even Chen's wife was allowed to hear proceedings. Instead, authorities appointed their own public defender for Chen just before the trial began. As a result, the defender had not even read the case report before he walked into the courtroom. The defender did little to help his new client's case and did not raise any objection to the proceedings or to any of the evidence presented, despite Chen's protest in the court. The trial lasted just two hours. On August 24, 2006, Chen was sentenced to four years and three months for "damaging property and organising a mob to disturb traffic".
On November 30, 2006, Yinan County court in Shandong province upheld its decision to sentence blind activist Chen Guangcheng to more than four years in prison after he documented claims of forced abortions, the activist's brother said.
The decision was issued in a 30-minute session, where no witnesses or evidence were presented, said Chen Guangfu, the only family member allowed to be present during the proceedings.
On January 12, 2007, the Linyi Intermediate Court in Shandong Province rejected Chen's final appeal. The same court had overturned his original conviction in December 2006 citing lack of evidence. However, Chen was convicted in a second trial on identical charges and given an identical sentence by the Yinan court.
Ruanjin
Chen is under Ruanjin, or soft detention, closely monitored house arrestHouse arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. He and his wife, however, have attempted to communicate via video tape and written communication. The government has responded by beating Chen and his wife, confiscating documents and communication devices in their possession, cutting off electric power, and installing metal sheets over the windows of his house.
In 2011 the New York Times reported that waves of supporters and admirers have attempted to penetrate the security detail that monitors Chen's home to visit him, but have been turned away. In some instance, his supporters have been pummeled, beaten, or robbed by security agents. Would-be visitors include journalist, European diplomats, lawyers, and intellectuals.
Ramon Magsaysay Award
One of the awardees for emergent leadership, Chen Guangcheng has yet to receive the Ramon Magsaysay AwardRamon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
as he is currently in prison. His wife, Yuan Weijing, was en route to Manila to receive the award on her husband's behalf but was prevented from boarding the plane. 256 Asians have received it since 1957. Each awardee receives a certificate, a medallion and an undisclosed cash prize. The award, often called the "Asian Nobel Award", was bestowed for "his irrepressible passion for justice in leading ordinary Chinese citizens to assert their legitimate rights under the law." His family and human rights groups in China called on United Nations human rights bodies, the media, the international community, and other governments to study the case and lobby on his behalf. Chen Guangcheng's story caught global attention. On April 30, 2006, he was in Time Magazine's list of "2006's Top 100 People Who Shape Our World" in the category of "Heroes and Pioneers."
On August 24, 2007, AIDS activist Hu Jia
Hu Jia (activist)
Hu Jia is an activist and dissident in the People's Republic of China. His work has focused on the Chinese democracy movement, Chinese environmentalist movement, and HIV/AIDS in the People's Republic of China...
reported that Yuan Weijing's passport had been revoked and her mobile phone confiscated by Chinese authorities as she attempted to pass the security cordon at Beijing airport. Weijing was on her way to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
to attend the Magsaysay Award ceremony and receive the prize on behalf of her husband, Chen Guangcheng.
See also
- Juan Carlos González LeivaJuan Carlos González LeivaJuan Carlos González Leiva is a blind lawyer and human rights activist in the communist Cuba. He created the Fraternity of the Independent Blind of Cuba and the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights.He has accused the regime of harassing and torturing him....
, a blind lawyer and human rights activist in the communist Cuba. - Weiquan movementWeiquan movementThe Weiquan movement is a non-centralized group of lawyers, legal experts and intellectuals in the People's Republic of China who seek to protect and defend the civil rights of the citizenry through litigation and legal activism...
- One-child policyOne-child policyThe one-child policy refers to the one-child limitation applying to a minority of families in the population control policy of the People's Republic of China . The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy...