Beijing noir

Chen has left China, but its thuggish local governments remain

In spite of all those well-worn tales of oppression and defiance in repressive societies, the story of Chen Guangcheng, the blind, self-taught lawyer who made a daring nighttime escape from illegal house arrest to the American Embassy in Beijing in April, is too powerful and touching to be indifferent to.

Chen, whom the Chinese central government had earlier been recognised with an award for his advocacy of the rights of the disabled. But he incurred the wrath of thuggish local officials in his native province of Shandong when he led a public campaign six years ago against forced abortions carried out to meet the birth quota imposed under the infamous one-child policy. He was unjustly convicted on charges of "obstructing traffic and destroying property" — ridiculously false accusations against a blind man — and sentenced to four years of imprisonment. After Chen was released 18 months ago and became, legally speaking, a free man again, the same lawless local officials did something outrageous even by Chinese standards. They erected a high wall around Chen's house, hired dozens of thugs to keep Chen locked inside his home, and installed a device to block cellphone signals. Such acts would be considered criminal in any society. Yet, despite protests by Chinese human rights activists and complaints from Western leaders (including American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), Beijing refused to intervene. When Chinese human rights activists tried to visit Chen, they were beaten up and kept out of his village. Even the Oscar-winning Hollywood star, Christian Bale, was roughed up by the same thugs last year when he attempted to see Chen.

Chen's illegal house arrest would have continued indefinitely had he and a network of activists not staged one of the greatest escapes in history. Chen fooled his captors by pretending to be bed-ridden for several months and then, on a moonless night, scaled the wall and was picked up by a friend who drove him to Beijing. After hearing Chen's pleas for protection, Hillary Clinton authorised American diplomats to smuggle him into the embassy. On May 19 last month, Chen finally left for New York.

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