Why Chen Guangcheng’s Story Matters.

The It’s a Girl team has been avidly following the Chen Guangcheng story. Reggie Littlejohn, Founder and President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, who is featured in our film, has been long advocating for the activist’s release and is closely involved in the story.

We were initially thrilled to hear of Chen’s escape to the US embassy in Beijing and were concerned for the safety of Chen and his family. Today, like many of you, we are heartbroken and angry to hear that he is back in the hands of the Chinese government and potentially in even greater danger than prior to his escape.

Chen’s story dominates world news and it is clear that his dissidence poses a threat to Sino-American relations. However, given the political controversy surrounding his release, it is easy to forget the reason Chen was put under house arrest to begin with; and to forget the plight of those he was speaking out to defend when he lost his good standing with the Chinese officials against whom he protested.