Amendment for Blind Activist Chen Guangcheng Passes Today

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers and China Aid announce that today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed Rep. Chris Smith’s amendment to the State Department 2012 appropriation bill.  Citing Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, Rep. Smith proposed a successful amendment in support of blind activist Chen Guangcheng and his wife.

Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, stated, “We congratulate Rep. Chris Smith on his leadership in sponsoring this far-reaching amendment, which urges the Chinese government to stop harassing the Chen family, to release them from house arrest, and to arrange for immediate medical treatment. It further urges the Obama administration to arrange diplomatic visits to the Chen family. Beyond this, it highlights the tragedy of forced abortion and coercive family planning in China. This amendment comes just in time, as Chen’s health is frail and deteriorating rapidly.”

Bob Fu, President of China Aid, stated, “This historic amendment also raises the issue of the harassment, arrest, disappearance and disbarment of Chinese human rights lawyers and defenders. We hope to see the Obama administration take effective action on behalf of Chen and other human rights defenders who are suffering incalculable harm as a result of their courage to stand up for human rights in China. We look forward to the day when Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, and other Chinese human rights heroes are free.”

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers and China Aid are spearheading a campaign to free blind activist Chen Guangcheng, whose health is in serious jeopardy because of repeated beatings and malnutrition he suffers in house detention. Chen exposed the fact that there were 130,000 forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations in Linyi County in 2005. The Chinese Communist Party imprisoned Chen for four years and three months and has kept him and his family under strict house arrest since September, 2010. His health is declining because of malnutrition, intestinal illness, repeated torture and the denial of medical treatment. In a letter recently smuggled out of China Chen’s wife, Yuan Weijing, said she was worried about his survival. Yuan has also been tortured and denied medical treatment.

The World Youth Alliance and the Jubilee Campaign are partnering with Women’s Rights Without Frontiers and China Aid in the effort to free Chen.

To watch a 3 minute video about Chen, click here. http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/blog/?p=296

To sign the petition to free Chen, click here:
http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=chen-guangcheng

This entry was posted in abortion, Bob Fu, Chen Guangcheng, China, China Aid Association, China's One Child Policy, Chris Smith, coerced abortion, Forced Abortion, forced sterilization, Jubilee Campaign, One Child Policy, pro-choice, pro-life, Reggie Littlejohn, reproductive health, reproductive rights, Uncategorized, women, Women's Rights Without Frontiers, World Youth Alliance. Bookmark the permalink.

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