Posted on 04/27/2012 12:24:38 PM PDT by CondorFlight
BEIJING -- Chen Guangcheng, the blind rights lawyer who has been under extralegal house arrest in his rural village for the past 19 months, has escaped from his heavily guarded home and is in hiding in the capital, rights advocates and Chinese officials said on Friday.
American officials would not confirm reports that Mr. Chen has sought refuge in the American Embassy.
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A self-taught lawyer once lauded by the state media for his work defending farmers and the disabled, Mr. Chen, 40, angered local officials after taking on the case of thousands of women who had been forcibly sterilized in Linyi County.
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Mr. Fu of China Aid said he was optimistic that Mr. Chen might be able to negotiate his freedom. "The fact that he's escaped will really shake up Chinese security forces," he said. "It tells them that they are not almighty God."
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(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
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