Chen Guangcheng, the blind human-rights activist who escaped China last year after taking refuge in the U.S. Embassy, will be affiliated with The Catholic University of America, according to a report from Reuters.
The Catholic University of America is reportedly set to reveal details of the affiliation today at a press conference with the Witherspoon Institute and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, with which Guangcheng will also be affiliated.
A human rights activist in China, Chen found himself imprisoned for four years for his work in exposing the thousands of forced abortions and sterilization procedures performed on women by government population control officials. He also spent three years under house arrest before escaping.
Since coming to the U.S., Guangcheng had been a student at New York University, but that connection was severed earlier this year. He said at the time that NYU asked him to leave as a result of pressure from the Chinese government. NYU has denied that claim.
Originally published by The Cardinal Newman Society's Catholic Education Daily on 2 October 2013.
And today we celebrate...