caption years_active home_town children awards image_size nationality article_title birth_date alt residence known_for image spouse name occupation alma_mater
chen 1 may 2012 guangcheng at the u.s. embassy in beijing on 2006 -- present dongshigu , shandong province , china chen kerui chen kesi '' award -lrb- 2007 -rrb- time '' 100 -lrb- 2006 -rrb- ramon magsaysay 200px people 's republic of china chen guangcheng
 12 november 1971 chen 1 may 2012 guangcheng at the us embassy in beijing on new york city , new york , u.s. anti-corruption activism chen guangcheng at us embassy may 1 , 2012.jpg yuan weijing chen guangcheng civil rights activist nanjing and 2001 -rrb- university of traditional chinese medicine -lrb- during 1998
chen guangcheng

chen guangcheng -lrb- born 12 november 1971 -rrb- is a chinese civil rights activist who worked on human rights issues in rural areas of the people 's republic of china .
blind from an early age and self-taught in the law , chen is frequently described as a `` barefoot lawyer '' who advocates for women 's rights , land rights , and the welfare of the poor .
he is best known for accusing people of abuses in official family-planning practices , often involving claims of violence and forced abortions .
in 2005 , chen gained international recognition for organising a landmark class-action lawsuit against authorities in linyi , shandong province , for the excessive enforcement of the one-child policy .
as a result of this lawsuit , chen was placed under house arrest from september 2005 to march 2006 , with a formal arrest in june 2006 .
on 24 august 2006 , chen was sentenced to four years and three months for `` damaging property and organising a mob to disturb traffic . ''
he was released from prison in 2010 after serving his full sentence , but remained under house arrest or `` soft detention '' at his home in dongshigu village .
chen and his wife were reportedly beaten shortly after a human rights group released a video of their home under intense police surveillance in february 2011 .
chen 's case received sustained international attention , with the u.s. state department , the british foreign secretary , human rights watch , and amnesty international issuing appeals for his release ; the latter group designated him a prisoner of conscience .
chen is a 2007 laureate of the ramon magsaysay award and in 2006 was named to the `` time '' 100 .
in april 2012 , chen escaped his house arrest and fled to the u.s. embassy in beijing .
after negotiations with the chinese government , he left the embassy for medical treatment in early may 2012 , and it was reported that china would consider allowing him to travel to the united states to study .
on 19 may 2012 , chen , his wife , and his two children were granted u.s. visas and departed beijing for new york city .
in october 2013 , chen accepted a position with the conservative research group witherspoon institute , and a position at the catholic university of america .
