Washington D.C., May 15, 2013 / 16:04 pm
A bipartisan coalition of Congress members has sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, calling for government action to protect the family members of Chinese pro-life leader Chen Guangcheng.
"Chen Guangcheng and his family have suffered greatly at the hands of Chinese officials in Shandong Province," wrote the congressional leaders.
"Their story is not unfamiliar but it is somewhat unique, in that it has garnered international attention, in part through Chen's heroic escape from house arrest, and shone a bright light on the consistent human rights abuses endured by the Chinese people," they said.
The letter was signed by Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), along with Reps. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) and Rick Larsen (D-Wash.).