He Peirong is a petite woman with a spine of steel.\u00a0 I know her because she spearheaded the movement to free Chen Guangcheng inside China, while I have played a similar role in the U.S. and Europe.\u00a0 That\u2019s where the similarity ends.\u00a0 I have advocated for Chen in complete safety.\u00a0 Peirong, however, has been beaten and detained repeatedly for this extremely dangerous undertaking.\u00a0 Now, she is detained again, for rescuing Chen.<\/p>\n
How did Chen escape? \u00a0The Chinese Communist Party clamped down on him as hard as it could.\u00a0 His house was surrounded by 66 guards working in three shifts \u2013 22 guards every eight hours.\u00a0 His village was sealed off by yet more guards.\u00a0 His phone, computer and television were confiscated.\u00a0 He was completely shut off from the outside world.\u00a0 Plus he was sick and injured from all the beatings.<\/p>\n
According to Peirong, Chen spent months on his back, pretending to be near death, so that his guards would relax their vigilance.\u00a0 Then on April 22, with exquisite timing, he scaled a wall and ran for his life, taking several wrong turns and falling into a river because of his blindness.\u00a0 Peirong drove 20 hours to meet Chen and fooled the village guards into letting her in.\u00a0 She disguised herself as a courier.\u00a0 Then she drove Chen another eight hours \u2013 still wet from his fall in the river \u2013 to safety in Beijing.\u00a0 Their plan was so masterfully executed that the authorities did not realize Chen was gone for four days.<\/p>\n
Once authorities discovered that Chen was missing, the reprisals began.\u00a0 The Chinese Communist Party violently detained Chen\u2019s older brother and nephew, and his wife, children and mother are at risk as well.<\/p>\n
As news of Chen\u2019s escape was breaking, I skyped with Peirong on and off all Thursday night from Dublin, where I had testified about Chen at the Irish Parliament.\u00a0 Peirong was alone and worried \u2013 about Chen and his family, and about her own safety.\u00a0 Peirong knew that the price of securing Chen\u2019s freedom might be her own.<\/p>\n
At about 5:00 a.m. Dublin time, I skyped Peirong one last time and she did not answer. She had been detained, and no one has heard from her since.\u00a0\u00a0 We don\u2019t know if Peirong is being tortured or whether her detention will last days, months or years.<\/p>\n
In pressing for Chen\u2019s freedom, let us also press for the freedom of his rescuer, He Peirong, a hero in her own right.\u00a0\u00a0 She stood up for Chen during his time of greatest need.\u00a0 The least we can do is stand by her as she pays a terrible price for her courage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He Peirong is a petite woman with a spine of steel.\u00a0 I know her because she spearheaded the movement to free Chen Guangcheng inside China, while I have played a similar role in the U.S. and Europe.\u00a0 That\u2019s where the … Continue reading