Chen Guangcheng arrested

Chinese Police Charge Family Planning Activist
SHANGHAI -- Chinese police have formally arrested a blind activist who campaigned against coercive family planning, his wife said Saturday.

Chen Guangcheng, a self-taught legal expert in the eastern province of Shandong, drew international attention last year after accusing Linyi city officials of enforcing late-term abortions and sterilizations. He was detained in March.

His family received official notice from county public security by registered mail, saying Chen faced charges of deliberately destroying public property and assembling a crowd to disrupt traffic.

"Chen told his lawyer, Li Jinsong, that he was told he must admit to these crimes," Chen's wife, Yuan Weijing, said by telephone. "Now that he's been arrested, it's quite likely he will be sentenced."