With Chen's Fate Uncertain, Online 'Dark Glasses' Campaign Continues

NPR | By Mark Memmott

Published May 3, 2012 at 1:20 PM EDT

Before his escape from house arrest, his stay at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and now his plea that he be allowed to go to the U.S., Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng was the focus of a "Dark Glasses" campaign aimed at drawing attention to his plight.

Chen, who is blind, is normally seen and photographed wearing sunglasses. Those who upload pictures of themselves to the Dark Glasses blog pledge to "not stop until you are free!"

Chen's status now is uncertain. He says he fears for his and his family's safety and that he wishes he hadn't left the U.S. embassy.

So his supporters are still uploading pictures to Dark Glasses. Number 578 showed up today.

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

See stories by Mark Memmott

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