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Be a friend of Chen
On 20th May, somewhere in a prison cell in China, a blind man named Chen Guangcheng will have completed 1000 days of a prison sentence for 'damaging public property and gathering people to block traffic'.
At least that's the official reason.
The real reason however, is much more likely to be the fact that Chen had been helping local villagers in Shandong province in their attempt to sue the local authorities for carrying out an illegal policy of forced abortion and sterilizations which reportedly affected thousands of local women, as part of China's one child policy.
No matter what people's views on abortion are, surely no-one can believe that forced abortion is acceptable. An Amnesty International press statement at the time said;
"We condemn utterly the sentence imposed on Chen Guangcheng and consider him a prisoner of conscience. Chen has been imprisoned solely because of his peaceful defence of human rights and he should be released immediately. The charges against Chen were politically motivated and the trial was grossly unfair from start to finish".
Recent reports talk about Chen being denied access to medical treatment, poorly fed and at times beaten. His wife, Yuan Weijing is also denied access to see her husband, and is under virtual house arrest, even though she has not been convicted of any crime.
Being blind, Chen got no formal education, and eventually taught himself English and studied the Chinese legal system on his own.
He built his reputation in his own village through speaking up for accurate personal taxation and environmental issues. But it is his Human Rights activities that have made the world take notice of Chen Guangcheng.
When he became aware of the severity of the one-child policy, and the forced abortions and sterilizations among couples with two children, he knew he had to take action.
China is the most populated country in the world with a population of 1.3 billion, and it is scheduled to continue to rise. As a result the authorities encourage the one-child policy especially in urban areas, with the aim of stabilizing population growth.
Officially the government opposes forced abortions and sterilizations, but there are population targets to be met in towns and villages, seemingly meaning coercion is commonplace. It is this and to fight against the use of violence to pursue population control that Chen has devoted his life to.
On the 20th May there will be an event in London to recognise Chens' 1000 days detention, and to call again for maximum pressure to be put on the Chinese authorities to release Chen.
You can help by signing the Downing Street petition, joining the Facebook group, and writing to the Foreign Office. All details about doing this, and further information on the event on the 20th May is available on the campaign website www.friendsofchen.com/page5.htm
Have a great week friends, and thanks for your support for Chen.
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Weather for Eastbourne
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 13 C to 22 C
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Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
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