The headlines told it all. The one on the front page of the International Herald Tribune said: 'Activist in China sentenced to 4 years - Decision seen as part of a sweeping move to punish dissent.' Over the Xinhua report on the same story, the headline could not have been more different: 'Blind mob organiser sentenced to imprisonment.' Chen Guangcheng is a 34-year-old, self-taught lawyer who has been blind since childhood. He became a celebrity because he championed the cause, first, of other disabled people who had been the victims of discrimination. He then tried to bring a class action lawsuit against local officials in Shandong province for carrying out a campaign of forced abortion and sterilisation to meet birth control quotas. Chen was encouraged when an official at the State Family Planning Commission in Beijing acknowledged that officials in Linyi city , Shandong, had broken the law. However, when Linyi officials put him under virtual house arrest in September, Beijing gave him no help. In June, the local authorities charged him with damaging property and organising a mob to disrupt traffic. Lawyers flocked to defend him. And yet, just before his trial, three members of his legal team were arrested - charged with theft. When other members of his legal team asked for a postponement, the judge refused. Instead, he appointed two lawyers - who had never discussed the case with Chen - to represent him. Those lawyers did not object to any of the prosecution's allegations, and did not call any witnesses in his defence. Chen protested against these proceedings by refusing to take part, and the judge declared that his silence amounted to an admission of guilt. It is not clear how a blind person could have been guilty of organising the damage of property and directing the obstruction of traffic - especially at a time when he was under close police supervision. Moreover, even assuming he did damage 'doors and windows' as well as cars, and interrupted traffic for three hours, it is difficult to argue that a four-year prison sentence is somehow proportionate to the offence. The whole episode is a travesty of justice. The central government no doubt knows that what Chen is guilty of is no more than standing up for his rights and the rights of others in his community. By allowing him to be subjected to this farcical trial, the government is exposing China to international ridicule. American legal scholar Jerome Cohen, who knows Chen personally, said more in sorrow than in anger: 'The extremely harsh sentence for Chen Guangcheng confirms not only the lawlessness and vindictiveness of the authorities of Linyi city, but also the determination of the national Communist Party Political-Legal Committee to intimidate and suppress the country's rising generation of human rights activist-lawyers.' Chen has many admirers abroad. US Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey this month urged Beijing to release him. Chen was named by Time magazine in April as one of the 'top 100 people who shape our world', along with such luminaries as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Pope Benedict XVI and Premier Wen Jiabao . It was no doubt galling for Chinese officials to see someone they consider a troublemaker to be given the same honour as Mr Wen. It would not be surprising if that was one reason they decided to bring Chen down a few pegs by throwing him into prison. This incident shows that local mainland authorities are free to ride roughshod over anyone who challenges their illegal acts, and that the central government will almost always side with provincial officials. Yet, the future of mainland China remains bright because of people like Chen and the idealistic lawyers willing to defend him against the arbitrary behaviour of officials. An awareness of rights is spreading through the country like wildfire, and for every Chen Guangcheng who is imprisoned, 100 more will rise to take his place. Frank Ching is a Hong Kong-based writer and commentator
