China Aid Association
August 22, 2013
Editor’s note: This is an update to a previously published article, which can be found on China Aid’s website at: https://chinaaid.org/2013/08/six-month-old-baby-girl-with-us.html.
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| Yuan and baby Chris are back on American soil. |
Yuan Jianbin, a human rights defender from Shanghai, and his six-month-old daughter, Chris Yuan, who is an American citizen, have returned home safely with active efforts and help from China Aid and the direct involvement of the consuls from the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. They arrived in Los Angeles at 5:30 p.m. PST, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013. China Aid previously reported on this story, noting that the baby’s whereabouts had been unknown to her father for an extended period of time.
On Aug. 7, Yuan was assaulted by approximately a dozen “unidentified” people inside Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate Court and had his daughter taken from him. Yuan fell from the second floor to the first floor, landing on his back and head. As a result of the fall, he suffered many bone fractures and became unconscious.
When Yuan’s wife, Wang Lingling, who was at the family’s home in Los Angeles, learned that her baby had been taken to places unknown, she became worried. Wang found China Aid’s phone number on the Internet and called to request urgent help. Pastor Bob Fu, president of China Aid, contacted the U.S. State Department and officials at the U.S. Embassy in China, requesting that they use their resources to find and save baby Chris.
The consuls from the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai and other U.S. diplomats quickly started the process of finding the baby. They negotiated with the relevant departments of the Shanghai government and conducted a direct dialog with the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate Court. Finally, the court agreed to return the baby to Yuan. On Aug. 19, a consul and another employee from the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai accompanied Yuan to a designated location at the No. 2 Intermediate Shanghai Court where father and daughter were reunited. During the time that the baby was in the custody of the court, she had lost 0.8 lbs. Additionally, the court refused to answer any questions about where the baby had been kept and who had cared for the baby during that time.
On Aug. 21, a consul from the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai arranged to meet with Yuan again. The consul reminded Yuan that given various conditions, it was not safe for the baby to continue to stay in Shanghai. The consul told Yuan he hoped that Yuan would return the baby to the U.S. immediately. As a result, Yuan set aside all other matters in need of attention in China, namely the legal case concerning his wife’s termination from her prior employer, and booked tickets to fly to Los
Angeles. Yuan and his wife, Wang, are grateful to the U.S. government for their efforts in rescuing the baby. They also asked that China Aid express their thanks to the many people and human rights institutions who were concerned for the safety of baby Chris.
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