Chen Guangcheng is a self-taught “barefoot lawyer” who has worked on human rights issues in China’s rural areas. Blind since childhood, Chen taught himself law in his 20s and has since been a tireless advocate for persons with disabilities, the environment, and the poor. Chen was convicted and sentenced to prison for four years and three months for challenging the government’s One-Child Policy. After serving his full sentence, he was kept under brutal, illegal house arrest until he escaped to the US embassy in 2012.