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Whistleblower in forced sterilization cases badly beaten

A blind social activist who blew the whistle on an east China county which forced villagers to undergo sterilizations and detained those who refused has been badly beaten, sources said yesterday.

Chen Guangcheng, 34, has been under house arrest since mid-August for speaking out against violations of family planning rules by Shandong's Yinan County and filing a class-action suit on behalf of villagers.

On Tuesday Chen was beaten and punched by several thugs allegedly hired by the county government when he tried to leave his home in Dongshigu village, one friend, Xu Zhiyong, said.

"Several of the people guarding him beat him when his family members tried to help him out of his house," Xu said. "He suffered broken teeth and was bleeding."

A villager surnamed Zhao confirmed Chen had been beaten.

"No one can see him and he can't see anyone," Zhao said.

Xu and Li Fangping, both Beijingers, had gone to the village to try to help Chen mediate with the local government to release him from house arrest.

They were prevented from seeing him and were also punched and kicked by around 20 to 30 thugs, they said.

Xu and Li were heading back to Beijing yesterday after being forced to spend the night at a local police station.

The clashes are the latest incidents in a long battle between farmers in Dongshigu village and the local government over their method of enforcing China's controversial "one-child policy."

The case was recently exposed by Time magazine and the Washington Post, prompting an investigation by China's family planning agency which confirmed forced abortions were conducted.

Time last month reported that at least 7,000 people in Yinan underwent forced abortions and sterilizations earlier this year as officials were under pressure to limit the growth of the country's massive population.
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