Human Rights Group Honors China Forced Abortion Activist Chen Guangcheng 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 14, 2007
London, England (LifeNews.com) — An international human rights group that recognizes those who have made contributions to society by speaking out against injustice has given an award to Chen Guangcheng. Chen is the Chinese activist who was jailed on bogus charges after exposing a brutal family planning campaign there.
China’s family planning policy, which allows families in most places there to have just one child, frequently results in violence and intimidation against women and their loved ones.
Chen, a blind attorney, brought international exposure through interviews with western media outlets about how more than 10,000 women in the eastern city of Linyi were subjected to forced abortions and sterilizations.
Local officials targeted him afterwards and he has lost two unfair court battles on trumped up charges where witnesses and his attorneys were prevented from attending.
However, Chen was one of five "defenders of free speech" recognized by the Index on Censorship human rights organization. He was honored in London at the 2007 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression awards ceremony.
Henderson Mullin, the head of the group, said "The people we chose to highlight are all very worthy."
"They are all stories that are underreported and that we would like to bring to mainstream attention," he said.
"His work and the amount of good that he does is amazing. His bravery and his willingness to speak out is truly to be admired," Mullin said of Chen.
