Blind Chinese activist freed after four years in prison

Chen Guangcheng, 39, had accused officials in Shandong province of forcing 7,000 women into abortions or sterilisations. He was released from jail in the city of Linyi, the same area in which he helped people sue over injustices.

He had been sentenced to four years and three months in prison after being convicted of damaging property and disrupting traffic. The charges were made after supporters of Chen at a rally outside his house were angered by how police treated him, while he was under house arrest in 2006.

Chen, who has been blind since childhood, has no formal legal training, and a contender for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
"I have not changed at all. I want to thank all the friends who have been concerned about me," he reportedly said after his release.