Interviews with Chen Guangcheng

Democracy fundamentally means the will of the people can be carried out. The power of the state must also execute the will of the people and serve the people and the people can decide the direction of the government. Of course by “people” I mean majority opinion. The people are the true masters of the nation. If a society can carry out this kind of system then that society is democratic. I believe human rights are a person’s most fundamental rights.

Like the right to elect officials, of free speech, of assembly, these are all rights that everyone should have. In general, I would say human rights are a part of a just society, such as the rights of equality. If there is no equality then there’s no justice in the society.

I believe the origins of these human rights are naturally evolved and exist as humans exist, but later on are taken away [by dictators]. Later on humanity realized their naturalistic human rights were being taken away by tyrants, so they fought to take back their rights. And so I believe societal development [throughout history] has undergone this process: natural formation, tyrants [who take human rights away], and then [the people push back and want to move] towards a democratic society.

I believe we can’t compare people in different eras. Throughout history any person that fights for human rights never had the assistance of the Internet. So we need to really have new paradigms to think and plan things, but in general, when facing against evil or unreasonable demands the courage to say “no” and the courage to fight, there are historical figures who are worthy for us to learn from.

People such as [Nelson] Mandela and [Mahatma] Gandhi. [Nelson Mandela is a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994-1999. Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of India’s independence movement who inspired nonviolent movements for civil rights and freedom worldwide.].I think people such as they can inspire freedom in China. I believe democracy is the same as other systems in that it is not perfect It has many areas that still need development and improvement. I believe democracy is the same as other systems in that it is imperfect but it is currently the best system created by mankind. It encourages justice in society to the maximum.

Chen Guangcheng was born into a poor family on November 12, 1971 in China’s Shandong Province. As an infant, Chen suffered a fever that left him permanently blind. Chen developed a keen interest in legal practice. Teaching himself the law by studying legal texts and auditing various courses, Chen assisted people in his village with legal matters. In 2003, he married an English teacher and the couple had two children.

Chen’s activism began in 1996 when he petitioned the central government in Beijing over taxes that were improperly levied against his family. According to Chinese law, families with disabled persons receive tax exemptions that were not being granted to Chen. The campaign was successful and Chen began advocating for people with disabilities who had similar grievances with the government. Soon, he gained notoriety as a prominent activist for the disabled in China.

In 2005, Chen spent months investigating reports of forced abortions and sterilization being carried out by Chinese authorities to enforce the country’s one child policy, officially known as the Family Planning Policy. This law was enacted in 1978 and restricts most urban couples to a single child. When his investigation was complete, Chen filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of the women he interviewed against the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China’s office in the city of Linyi. This was the first suit of its kind challenging the implementation of the one child policy. The case was rejected and the local government retaliated by placing Chen in de facto house arrest. In 2006, Chen was formally tried and charged with instigating destruction of public property and disturbing the peace , which Chen decried as baseless given his house arrest and constant surveillance by the police. He was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison. After the proceedings, Amnesty International declared Chen a prisoner of conscience.

Chen was released from prison in 2010 only to once again be placed under house arrest by local authorities. His house was routinely monitored by security agents who prevented anyone from entering or exiting. Chen and his family were subject to constant harassment and abuse during this period.

Chen escaped from house arrest in April 2012 and fled to Beijing, where he sought refuge at the United States Embassy. In May 2012, Chen left the embassy after several weeks of negotiations, during which the Chinese government provided assurances that it would release the dissident from house arrest and investigate the actions taken against Chen by Shandong provincial authorities. Soon after leaving the embassy, Chen learned that his family had received numerous threats and feared the government would break its promises. He decided to leave China with his family and was offered a visiting scholar position by New York University. Chen accepted and arrived in New York with his family on May 19, 2012. He continues his work from the United States, advocating for human rights and democratic reform in China.