ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />Blind Chinese civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng received the Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize on Tuesday (January 29), a prestigious award named after the late U.S. congressman to raise awareness of violations of human rights throughout the world.<br/> <br />"China will see a transformation," Chen said after receiving the medal from actor Richard Gere at a Washington ceremony.<br/> <br />Chen, who broke free from 19 months of house imprisonment in China in April, sought refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing, embarrassing the Chinese authorities and sparking a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington. The 41-year-old now is studying law in New York.<br/> <br />Gere, an advisory board member of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, awarded the prize to Chen with the help of Lantos' wife.
