"We should link our arms to continue in the fight for the goodness in the world and to fight against injustice. So, I think that all people should apply themselves to this end to work for the common good worldwide. For the past seven years, I have never had a day's rest, so I have come here for a bit of recuperation for body and in spirit. After much turbulence, I have come out of Shandong."
After seven years in prison and house arrest, self-taught activist Chen Guangcheng made a daring escape from his rural village in April and was given sanctuary inside the U.S. Embassy, triggering a diplomatic standoff over his fate. His concerns, he said, included whether authorities would retaliate for his negotiated departure by punishing his relatives left behind. Chen will study law at New York University, a goal of his.
Chen is one of a new breed of activists that the Chinese Communist Party finds threatening. He gained recognition for crusading for the disabled, for farmer's rights and fighting against forced abortions in his rural community. He was convicted in 2006 on what his supporters say were fabricated charges, and then holding him for the past 20 months in illegal house arrest.
This feels like a happy ending.
I sure hope it is...
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