Blind Chinese Activist Cheng Guangcheng Reveals Beatings, Harassment

It’s the first contact between the Chen household and the outside world since February 9th—a letter detailing harassment and beatings.

Chen Guangcheng is a blind Chinese rights activist. He became a local hero when he defended victims of forced abortion in Shandong Province.

He was released from prison in September 2010 after serving a four-year term for “damaging property and organizing a mob to disturb traffic.” It’s a charge widely believed to be trumped up by authorities to keep him out of the way. Since he was released, Chen and his family have been forced to live under house arrest.

On February 9th the U.S.-based organization China Aid received this video documenting the 24-hour surveillance Chen and his family was under. Then, four months of silence.

On June 15th, China Aid received a letter from Chen’s wife that had been smuggled out of China. The letter gives an account of increased persecution the family has been subjected to since the video was released.

[Yuan Weijing, Chen Guangcheng’s Wife]:
“February 18, 2011, led by the vice secretary of the Communist Party of Shuanghou Town, Zhang Jian and some National Security policemen, a group of 70–80 guys stormed through my home gate. They beat and tortured my husband Chen Guangcheng and me for more than two hours. Without showing any legal documents and without any of them wearing a uniform, they plundered almost everything from my home. My husband and I were wounded severely, yet not allowed to leave home for any medical aid.”

The beatings have continued, now Chen’s mother is also under surveillance and the couple’s daughter isn’t able to go to school. Thugs also installed metal shutters over the windows of Chen’s home and cut off the electricity several times.

China Aid president Bob Fu released a video statement on the case on YouTube.

[Bob Fu, President, China Aid]:
“We are deeply concerned, the treatment of this family is in total violation of not only Chinese law, but even breaking the bottom line of the lowest moral ground by any human being.”

China Aid is urging Western governments to call on the Chinese regime to uphold its own laws and respect basic rights of citizens.

Time Magazine lists Chen Guangcheng as one of the “100 People Who Shape Our World,” for his courage in using legal means to confront local officials over forced abortions.