Crusading Blind Activist Chen

Blind dissident Chen Guangcheng, who made a dramatic escape from house arrest in his home province of Shandong to seek sanctuary at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, has been a prominent human rights torchbearer for China. The 40-year-old self-taught lawyer spent most of the seven years before his escape in prison or under house arrest for his activism, including against forced abortions under the country's one-child population policy. Since going to New York to study law under a deal struck between Beijing and Washington, Chen has expressed concern about ongoing pressure on his relatives and supporters back home.