Chinese Officials Assault Forced Abortion Activist for Second Time 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 25, 2005
Jinan, China (LifeNews.com) — Chinese officials beat up and assaulted a blind Chinese man who has left efforts to draw attention to thousands of forced abortions and sterilizations in one Chinese city. Chen Guangcheng has been kept under house arrest at his home since he met with reporters for Time Magazine and the Washington Post and exposed the scandal in Linyi, China.
When Chen tried to leave his home, he was punched and kicked by about nine officials and told to go back inside.
"(They) started beating and kicking him. He fell to the ground five or six times. He is a blind man. He could not see them," Chen’s cousin Chen Guangli told Washington-based Radio Free Asia.
Meanwhile, two friends of Chen were prevented from entering his home to check on him.
A village official told Reuters that Chen had bit one of the population control officials for grabbing him and not letting him go.
RFA said the attack left Chen bleeding in the right temple area. His left eye and left temple area also hurt and he could not bend his fingers, it said, adding that officials refused to let Chen seek medical treatment.
Commenting on the injuries, a local official told the Australian Associated Press, "His life is not in danger. His injury is not a big deal."
Chen has been monitored since he was detained in September and forced to go home. He was working on an official lawsuit with several attorneys who were also assaulted when Chen was beaten up the first time. RFA says 20 people are guarding Chen’s house in rotating shifts.
The attorneys hoped to mediate between Chen and local officials, who are upset at Chen for turning the scandal into an international incident.
