Advocate Who Challenged China's One-Child Policy Beaten After Lawyers Try To End His House Arrest

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 08 Oct 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese advocate who is seeking to bring a lawsuit challenging human rights abuses associated with the country's one-child-per-family policy, on Tuesday was beaten by a group of men when he tried to leave his home, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 10/5). Chen, who is blind, has been under house arrest since August after he recorded testimony from men and women in communities in and around Linyi, China, who have experienced forced abortions and sterilizations, as well as had family members captured and tortured after they tried to hide or run from authorities. He had plans to bring a class-action lawsuit to challenge the government's use of coercive measures to enforce its policy, which has long been restricted from public debate (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/20). Chen was beaten after three lawyers attempted to visit him and persuade local officials to lift his virtual house arrest (Reuters/Independent Online, 10/5). The 20 to 30 attackers were allegedly hired by the county's government, according to AFP/Yahoo! News. The lawyers, who were prevented from seeing Chen, also were punched and kicked (AFP/Yahoo! News, 10/5). Chen was left on the street bleeding, a witness said, adding that he had "several cuts and injuries to his arms and also sustained an injury to his leg" (BBC News, 10/5). "One of his teeth was loose, too. The government officials refused to take him to seek medical attention, but they sent a doctor to get his blood pressure checked," a witness said (Reuters/Independent Online, 10/5).

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