Forced abortion man seeks charges

The father of a forcibly aborted baby wants the Chinese officials responsible to face criminal prosecution.

Lawyer Zhang Kai says Deng Jiyuan, a villager from central China's Shaanxi province, is also seeking unspecified compensation.

Mr Deng's wife was forced to undergo an abortion seven months into her pregnancy because the family could not afford a 40,000 yuan (£4,000) fine for having a second child, which violated China's tough one-child policy.

The June incident caused a public uproar, and Chinese authorities have since apologised. Two officials were fired, and five more were sanctioned.

Mr Zhang said today that he has sent a legal request on Mr Deng's behalf, asking local police and prosecutors to investigate criminal offences in the case.

Mr Deng is also seeking compensation from the government.

Feng Jianmei, his wife, has been in hospital with health problems since the abortion, his sister Deng Jicai said.

The family says it was temporarily placed under government surveillance last month and that Mr Deng went into hiding in late June after local officials stopped him from travelling to Beijing.

He said Mr Deng eventually made it to Beijing to seek legal help.