BEIJING (ANS): The woman who risked her life to drive blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng from his village to the US Embassy in Beijing has been released from detention. The BBC interviewed ‘Pearl’ Peirong, a former English teacher, following her release. Pearl rescued Chen after he escaped house arrest, climbed over walls and forded a river. She drove him from Dongshigu village to Beijing following a secret rendezvous. “I am relieved and delighted that Pearl has been released,” said Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers. Littlejohn advocated for Pearl’s release at a congressional hearing yesterday, and Republican Chris Smith took up Pearl’s cause. “Some say that quiet, back door diplomacy is the way to deal with the detention of Chinese human rights defenders. But human rights activists have found that high profile, public pressure is far more effective,” said Littlejohn.