Chen Guangcheng has finished serving his sentence in prison and was sent back to his home.

ChinaAid translated the Interview with blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng, by Radio Free Asia reporter, Zhang Min.
Chen Guangcheng has finished serving his sentence in prison and was sent back to his home on September 9, under close surveillance by the authorities.

By Zhang Min, reporter for Radio Free Asia
English Translation by ChinaAid | PDF
September 9, 2010

On September 9, Chen Guangcheng, the blind rights defender from Shandong province, completed his sentence of four years and three months in prison.  At 6:25 AM, under close surveillance by the authorities, he was sent back to his home in Dongshigu Village, Shuanghou Town, Yi’nan County, where he met his wife, daughter and his brother Chen Guangfu, who were preparing to pick him up at the prison.  He arrived home at 6:30 AM.  The following is a report by Zhang Min, the reporter from Free Radio Asia:
On September 9, Chen Guangcheng, the blind rights defender from Shandong province, completed his sentence of four years and three months in prison.  At 6:25 AM, under close surveillance by the authorities, he was sent back to his home in Dongshigu Village, Shuanghou Town, Yi’nan County, where he met his wife, daughter and his brother Chen Guangfu, who were preparing to pick him up at the prison. He arrived home at 6:30 AM. 
[Chen’s wife] Yuan Weijing told the Radio Free Asia reporter: “Guangcheng has already come back.”
Reporter: “Are there any people watching you at the door?”
Yuan Weijing: “There are still people here, and it is not very convenient to talk to you now.  Guangcheng has caught a cold and his voice is now hoarse.”
Mr. Chen Guangcheng, who had just entered his home and sat down, agreed to the interview with the reporter:
Reporter:  “Congratulations on your release from the prison. How is your health now?”
Cheng Guangcheng: “Except for the diarrhea, my other problems are not serious.  Over the past two days, my voice has turned hoarse.”
Reporter: “How is your diarrhea now?”
Cheng Guangcheng: “It is still pretty bad.  Sometimes, I have to go to the restroom in a hurry and need to go there immediately.  Sometimes, I have to go several times a night.”
Reporter: “How long has it been like this?”
Cheng Guangcheng: “It started on July 25, 2008, after an incident of food poisoning.”
Reporter: “Were there any other causes that have aggravated [your] condition and made it last until now?”
Cheng Guangcheng: “There are problems with various types of food we ate there.”
Reporter: “Have you been physically maltreated?”
Cheng Guangcheng: “The maltreatment was very serious in the early days when I was first imprisoned.  It was very serious in 2007.”
Reporter: “Each one of us is concerned about your health and whether you and your family can regain true freedom after your release from the prison.”
Cheng Guangcheng: “I want to thank my friends all over the world for their concern for me. This is the only thing I want to tell you.”
Yuan Weijing: “We have to finish our talk here.”
In 2005, the blind rights defender Mr. Chen Guangcheng exposed the use of violence in the implementation of family planning policies in the Linyi area, and he provided legal assistance to the peasants.  In January 2007, with his attorney beaten and his witnesses kidnapped and unable to appear in court, Chen Guangcheng was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on the charges of “intentional destruction of properties and inciting a mob to disturb traffic.” The three months in which he was kidnapped by the police before he was detained were not deducted from his sentence.  Since the fall of 2005, Yuan Weijing, Chen Guangcheng’s wife, has been under various forms of surveillance, and she was beaten on several occasions.  During the four and a half years of Chen Guangcheng’s imprisonment, Yuan Weijing was allowed to visit him only three times, though Chinese law states that family members are permitted to visit the prisoner once a month.
In 2006, Mr. Chen Guangcheng was included in Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.  After that, he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award and many other international human rights awards.
Half a year before Chen Guangcheng completed his sentence, the relevant government agencies reinforced their watch on the main roads around his home in Dongshigu Village.  On September 8, four or five people were sent respectively to the houses of Chen Guangcheng’s wife and his elder brother, where they continue to stand guard around the clock.  When Chen’s relatives go to work in the field or go out for shopping, people on motorcycles follow them at a very short distance.  Additional guards have been deployed on the main roads leading to his house.  At present, over 20 people are involved in this surveillance program. Chen Guangfu’s and Yuan Weijing’s cell phones frequently don’t work very well.
At this time, Chen Guangcheng urgently needs to see doctors for diagnosis and treatment of his diarrhea.  There are now wide concerns as to whether Chen Guangcheng and his family can regain true freedom after his release from the prison.

The above is a report from Zhang Min, for Radio Free Asia.
Translation Copyright ChinaAid 2010.



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Chen Guangcheng has finished serving his sentence in prison and was sent back to his home.

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