A hearing on the status of Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese human rights lawyer who caught the attention of the world over the past two weeks in his bid to escape persecution in China by seeking help in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, will be held Tuesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees international human rights.

    The hearing, entitled, “Chen Guangcheng: His Case, Cause, Family, and Those Who are Helping Him,” will feature human rights leaders active on Chen’s and other human rights cases in China before an open hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights.

    In an unplanned live call-in to a May 3 hearing that Smith was conducting on Chen before the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Chen testified by phone about his concerns. Within hours, the Chinese government announced that Chen could apply to travel to the United States. Chen is currently at a hospital in Beijing, still awaiting necessary travel documents. There is growing international concern about reports that Chinese officials are retaliating against his extended family and supporters.

Who:   Chairman Smith, and other members of the human rights subcommittee, and witnesses:

• Bob Fu, former political prisoner, Founder and President, ChinaAid Association
• Wei Jingsheng, former political prisoner, Founder and Chair, Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition
• Reggie Littlejohn, Founder and President, Women’s Rights Without Frontiers
• Chai Ling, Tiananmen Square Massacre student activist,  Founder, All Girls Allowed

When:             Tues., May 15 at 1 p.m.

Where:            Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172