A blind Chinese activist jailed after he documented cases of forced abortions was beaten by other prisoners, who also shaved his head, his wife said Friday.
Chen Guangcheng staged a hunger strike to protest the attack, which left him with cuts on his legs and swelling around the ribs, his wife, Yuan Weijing, said in a telephone interview.
A shaved head is a defining characteristic of Chinese prison inmates and Chen — protesting his innocence — had refused to wear his hair any shorter than a crew cut, Yuan said.
“Ever since he went to jail … he never acknowledged that he was a criminal. He said, ‘I’m a Chinese citizen. I’m here, but I’m not a criminal,'” Yuan said.
Chen was convicted in August 2006 on charges of instigating an attack on government offices in his village of Dongshigu in eastern Shandong province.
