The Congressional-Executive Commission on China held an emergency hearing Thursday to discuss the uncertain fate of Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, and they got some surprising testimony from none other than Chen himself.

He spoke to the hearing via an iPhone that a translator held up to a microphone, telling congressmen, as he's said in cell phone interviews with news outlets, that he'd like to leave China and fears for his family, but the moment was fascinating not so much for what he said but the fact that he could say it at all. Perhaps it's cliché to be awed by this, but come on. Watching this guy testify for a human rights committee from across the world really did provides a stunning visual of technology's ability to connect a dissident in a repressive country to lawmakers in the United States. Business Insider's Joe Weisenthal grabbed the screenshot posted below.

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