CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The deteriorating human rights situation in China should inspire action on the part of the Chinese government and people, as well as the international community, said pro-life advocate Chen Guangcheng.<\/p>\n\t\u201cUnfortunately, the human rights situation in China is in fact getting worse,\u201d the blind activist warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThis has to garner more attention from the world,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the United States, in particular, as a beacon of freedom, needs to play a leading role.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIn a video recorded several days before World Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, Chen detailed the human rights abuses that are still regularly occurring in his home country.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe violence in maintaining China\u2019s \u2018one-child policy\u2019 still extensively exists,\u201d he said, speaking in Chinese. \u201cIt is a sin, because life is sacred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tChen \u2013 a self-taught human rights lawyer \u2013 made international headlines in April when he escaped from house arrest and was taken in by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.<\/p>\n
\tHe has been blind since his youth, and spent years in prison after angering Chinese government officials by exposing brutal practices such as forced abortions and sterilizations tied to the nation\u2019s one-child policy.<\/p>\n
\tChen said that he and his family had been beaten and refused medical attention during that time. He agreed to leave the U.S. Embassy only after the Chinese government promised that he would be safe and treated humanely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\tHowever, shortly after being transported to a Beijing hospital on May 2, the pro-life activist voiced concerns that China was not keeping its promises.<\/p>\n
\tAfter several days of heightened international attention, Chen and his immediate family were allowed to travel to the United States, where he was offered a fellowship to study law and learn English at New York University's law school.<\/p>\n
\tIn his latest video, Chen thanked everyone who has helped him, while also calling for increased efforts to bring real change to China.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cToday, I am standing here because I am in a free world,\u201d he said. \u201cYet my family in China, as well as tens of thousands of my fellow countrymen, are still in an authoritarian regime. They are not free.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cCitizens of the world, let your voice be heard in support of justice,\u201d he said, calling on nations to \u201cshift their focus from trade to human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tChen reported that the Chinese government has \u201cenacted revenge\u201d on his family members and friends remaining in the country.<\/p>\n
\tHe pointed to his nephew, Chen Kegui, who was recently sentenced to three months in jail, as well as others who have been harassed, illegally detained or have disappeared.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe Communist Party officials at every level continue to act against the state law and humanity,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cno one is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tChen spoke directly to the Communist leader of China, saying, \u201cMr. Xi Jinping, the whole nation is watching you.\u201d He warned Xi that his decision on whether to reform the government or simply protect the interests of the party will determine if China transforms peacefully or violently.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cDo not send out the wrong signals to party officials that they can continue acting without any restraint,\u201d he said, urging an end to the government\u2019s abuse of power and the release of prisoners of conscience.<\/p>\n
\tChen also spoke to the people of his countrymen, telling them that they can and should \u201cjoin together to work for our own rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cGod helps them who help themselves,\u201d he emphasized, calling the people of China to stand up for \u201ca fair and just social system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAdvocates of life and liberty in China called on world leaders to heed Chen\u2019s message. Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, said the ongoing human rights abuses should put the international community \u201con alert that it is time to set a new course for human rights and trade with China.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tReggie Littlejohn, president of Women\u2019s Rights without Frontiers, said that the one-child policy causes \u201cdeep social unrest\u201d in society and \u201cis perhaps the most hated of all the official policies in China.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cNo policy this unjust can last forever,\u201d Littlejohn said. \u201cThe leaders of the United States should join Chen in calling for a peaceful transition away from policies that are oppressing and terrorizing the people of China, who are one fifth of the population of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
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New York City, N.Y., Dec 4, 2012 \/ 10:15 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The deteriorating human rights situation in China should inspire action on the part of the Chinese government and people, as well as the international community, said pro-life advocate Chen …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\n
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