Your immediate intervention is needed!! The wife of Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist in China, has been beaten and detained!

A few days ago Yuan Weijing, the wife of Chen Guangcheng China's pro-life advocate, was detained at the Beijing airport on her way to the Philippines.  In the Philippines Yuan was to recieve an award on behalf of her husband.  Chen has been named as one of seven winners of the Magsaysay award for his "irrepressible passion for justice in leading ordinary Chinese citizens to asser their legitmate rights under the law."

In an interview with the Washington Post, Yuan said, "I was taken to the basement of the Beijing airport after I was stopped by the airport official at the security check.  I saw 16-17 strong men in the basement, some of whom were from my town.  We stayed in the basement for several minutes, and then left for Linyi."

Yuan was then forcibly escorted back to her home town where the men "pulled her hair and twisted her arms, dragging her out of the car."  They confiscated her belongings, while refusing to show any official legal documents regarding who they were and why they had taken her belongings.

Yuan has since been returned to her home in Linyi.

BACKGROUND:

The self-taught Chinese lawyer was first taken into policy custody in September 2005, after exposing China's brutal population control tactics in the Shandong Province.  For months Chen was held without trial, subjected to beatings, and denied contact with his lawyer, his wife, and other advocates.  On August 24, 2006, Chen was formally sentenced to serve four years and three months in prison for "damaging public property and gathering people to block traffic." Throughout the trial, Chen's lawyers were denied access to their client, harassed and beaten, and key witnesses were blocked from testifying; the trial itself lasted less than two hours.  Since that time, Chen has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to appeal his sentence.

In July, Chen was severely beaten for "being disobedient due to his insistence on filing an appeal to the provincial higher court."  There continues to be great concern for Chen's health and safety.

No longer can we stand idly by while China continues to silence dissidents and oppress its citizens.  Please consider writing to the Chinese Ambassador on Chen's behalf and take a few moments to pray for his safety and immediate release

Click here to read the July BBC News article on Chen.

Please write a letter to the Chinese ambassador on Chen's behalf. Your voice can make a difference.

UNITED KINGDOM
Ambassador Zha Peixin
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
49-51 Portland Place
London W1B 1JL

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave., NW,
Washington, D.C. 20008

AUSTRALIA
Ambassador Fu Ying
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
15 Coronation Drive,
Yarralumla, ACT 2600

RELEASE CHEN GUANGCHENG AND STOP FORCED ABORTIONS AND STERILISATIONS!

The Ambassador
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
[insert the address of China's embassy in your country]

Your Excellency,

I am extremely concerned about the plight of Chen Guangcheng, a blind human rights activist who has been imprisoned for allegedly damaging property and disrupting traffic. He has committed no real crime and is being punished simply because of his exposure of a coercive birth control campaign in Shandong Province, which included forced abortions and sterilizations affecting thousands of Chinese women.

I urge the Chinese Government to release Chen Guangcheng from prison and to end the practice of forced abortions and sterilizations and the use of any other forms of coercion in the implementation of its birth control policy. Please communicate my concerns to your government.

Yours sincerely,

Name:
Signature:
Address:

*If you send a letter to your Embassy email us, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ! We'd love to hear about your experience.

*We have postcards demanding the release of Chen which can be mailed to the Chinese Embassy.  If you would like to mail a post card or would like to distribute them at your church or bible study, please call or write us.  We would be more than happy to send them to you!