Chen Guangcheng Visits Radio Free Asia
Blind Chinese civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng and his wife visited Radio Free Asia (RFA) headquarters and gave an interview to RFA.
The self-taught legal activist, currently studying law at New York University, was in Washington to accept an award from the Washington Oxi Day Foundation. During his visit to RFA, in addition to being interviewed, he met with RFA leadership as well as broadcasters whose programs to he listened to daily while under house arrest and prior to his jailing in August 2006.
In the interview, Chen said he had been listening to RFA since 1998 to stay in touch with political, social and development issues in China, urging his Chinese compatriots to listen to the Washington-based radio station broadcasts.
“Everyone knows that the best way to get the whole picture is to listen to all parties’ accounts. If you think you are doing the right thing, why are you afraid of letting people know about it? Only when you did something indecent, you don’t want people to talk about it,” Chen said during his interview with RFA about the important role free press plays in restricted media environments.
Chen’s dramatic escape in March from his home in rural Shandong province to the U.S. embassy in Beijing sparked a diplomatic crisis. Later, Chinese authorities allowed Chen to leave the country to study law in the United States after negotiations with U.S. officials.
Read RFA’s English version of the story.