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From The Times
August 25, 2006

Blind activist jailed for protest

By Jane Macartney
A blind rural activist whose work to uncover abuses of China’s family planning policy brought about the downfall of some local officials was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for damaging property in a village protest.

His lawyers, who were detained by police only hours before his trial in eastern Shandong last week, said Chen Guangcheng would appeal.Yuan Weijing, his wife, said: “I never expected such a heavy sentence. Even if he was guilty, the damage they said happened was small and the law says blind people should be given leniency.”

Chen had been confined to his home for months by local thugs before the incident for which he was convicted took place in his village earlier this year. He had enraged local authorities by recording complaints by villagers who said that they were forced, illegally, to undergo abortions and sterilisations to meet birth limits.

Chen’s efforts prompted China’s family planning agency to investigate. It confirmed the claims and said that some officials were detained or fired.

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