Blind activist’s friends and family face more hurdles

Relatives and friends of jailed blind activist Chen Guangcheng have had their telephones tampered with – just as the Paralympics are about to open.

The self-taught lawyer is currently serving four years and three months in a Chinese prison for "damaging public property and gathering people to block traffic".

He had been helping a group of distraught villagers with a lawsuit against local authorities, which were forcing women to have abortions and sterlisations under the country's strict birth quotas policy.

Phone calls cut off

Chen Guangcheng's wife, Yuan Weijing – who has been under surveillance since her husband was detained in 2006 – says the service to her mobile phone often cuts off in the middle of calls, reports Radio Free Asia.

" … "Sometimes I can get through, but I don't know when it might drop ... Most of the time [my brother-in-law's] cell phone shows no signal during the day," she added …"

Worldwide attention

Radio Free Asia says attempts to contact Yuan Weijing by phone as recently as 2 September failed, a recorded message says the number isn't working. And:

" … Li Fangping, Chen's lawyer in Beijing, said his cell phone had been experiencing similar problems. He speculated that government officials may be wary of the handicapped activist creating a stir ahead of the Paralympics … "

He says authorities may be worried that Chen Guangcheng's case will draw world attention.

Chen Guangcheng was last year awarded the Magsaysay Award, Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also named by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

When Yuan Weijing tried to fly to the Philippines to collect her husband's Magsaysay Award, she was stopped by authorities at Beijing's airport and sent back home.