Known to many as “the barefoot lawyer,” Mr. Chen was born and raised in a poor, remote village in Shandong, China. Blind since infancy, illiterate until his late teens, he nonetheless taught himself law and became a committed fearless advocate for the welfare and rights of tens of thousands of voiceless women, the disabled, and the poor in China. His work to defend human rights and bring justice to those facing persecution drew the attention of the Communist authorities, leading to harassment, black jails, tortures, and repeated house arrests for over 11 years. After 20 months of brutal detention in his own home, he escaped his village, later seeking safety at the American embassy in Beijing. High-level diplomatic negotiations secured his travel to the US, for study at New York University Law School. Mr. Chen is an internationally renowned human rights activist who has fearlessly advocated for the welfare and rights of women, the disabled, and the poor in China. His ardent and courageous human rights advocacy has received extensive international acclaim and has drawn heightened international attention the maltreatment of women and abuses of China’s one-child policy, including forced abortions and sterilizations. Mr. Chen has been the recipient of numerous national and international awards including The Time Magazine 100 Most Influential List (2006), The Ramon Magsaysay Award (2007), The Lantos Human Rights Prize (2012), The UK Parliament’s Westminster Award (2013), and The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy Courage Award (2014). He has served as Distinguished Fellow at IHE of CUA, Distinguished Senior Fellow in Human Rights at the Witherspoon Institute, and Senior Distinguished Advisor to the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.
