 Chen's case received sustained international attention, with the U.S. State Department, the British Foreign Secretary, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International issuing appeals for his release; the latter group designated him a prisoner of conscience.Chen is a 2007 laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and in 2006 was named to the "Time" 100.In April 2012, Chen escaped his house arrest and fled to the Embassy of the United States, Beijing.