Blind campaigner real-life Shawshank Redemption

29/04/2012 By Lisa Mitchell429

On Twitter, people are calling it a real-life Shawshank Redemption. Chen Guangcheng - a blind human rights campaigner - has apparently escaped past 100 guards around his home in China and, according to reports, has sought sanctuary in the US Embassy.

According to the Guardian, Chen dodged eight checkpoints in the dead of night - his blindness aiding him in finding his way.

As if his escape wasn't spectacular enough, it comes at an awkward time for Chinese - US relations. Hilary Clinton is due to visit Beijing next week.

NY Times writer @NickKristof tweets: Chen Guangcheng is one of the human rights activists I admire most worldwide, for his guts, intelligence and tenacity.

If you remember, the Shawshank Redemption was a great film with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in which Tim Robbins's character stages a clever prison break after years of incarceration.

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