Chinese riot over detention of activist – Mary-Anne Toy
From the Age, via Asia Media:
Angry villagers in China’s Shandong province have rioted in support of a blind activist who has been under house arrest for campaigning against forced sterilisations and abortions.
Chen Guangcheng, a peasant blind since birth who taught himself the law initially to fight for disabled rights, last year began exposing official abuse of the one-child policy. The abuse included making women have abortions, sometimes as late as seven or eight months into their pregnancies, then making them undergo sterilisation. Duress has included detaining and threatening to kill relatives unless the pregnant woman submitted.
Mr Chen’s whistleblowing led to several Shandong officials apparently being sacked and statements of support from the central Government in Beijing.
