LINYI, CHINA (WordNews.org) Dec. 3, 2011 -- Forced abortion opponent Chen Guancheng is still alive, despite previous reports that he had died under house arrest, Women's Rights Without Frontiers said."Now his mother is allowed to go outside to buy food although escorted by three guards, and his health also is getting better," a source told Women's Rights Without Frontiers.
The source said Guancheng had been treated better recently.
"Chen's situation was exposed and got huge public attention," the source said. One campaign that brought considerable visibility to Chen's plight was the flow of concerned citizens attempting to visit him for his 40th birthday on Nov. 12. Many of these citizens were beaten and detained, according to Women's Rights Without Frontiers.
In addition, the "Chen Sunglasses Freedom" campaigns inside and outside of China have raised the visibility of his case. These campaigns post photos of people wearing sunglasses in support of Chen. The source stated, "I think it's great. I think it's very helpful for people all over the world to show they care about Chen through the Sunglasses campaigns. I think it's very important to show support inside and outside the country – we can work together." These campaigns, spearheaded by Women's Rights Without Frontiers and Dark Glasses Portrait, can be found at www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=chen-guangcheng and ichenguangcheng.blogspot.com/.
