CHINESE ACTIVIST Chen Guangcheng has accused local officials of taking revenge on his relatives in his home town over his recent escape from house arrest and for causing an international incident.
Mr Chen is still in a Beijing hospital being treated for injuries sustained during his daring flight from his home in Linyi in Shandong province. His escape was an embarrassment for China, and triggered a diplomatic crisis in US- Sino relations during a visit by US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Mr Chen now plans to study in the US, where he has been offered fellowships by New York University and the University of Washington, under a deal between Beijing and Washington. His wife and two young children are with him in Beijing, waiting to join him on his journey to the US.
Mr Chen has accused officials in his home village of taking “crazy revenge” on his family. He said his sister-in-law and nephew had both been detained, though his lawyer said his sister-in-law had since been released. “I’m worried about my family’s situation right now. I think the local government in Shangdong has started their revenge against me,” he said.
Mr Chen (40) spent two years under what his supporters say was illegal house arrest after serving a four-year jail sentence in 2010 on traffic offences. The sentence was related to his work exposing forced sterilisations and abortions under China’s one child policy.
A particular worry is nephew Chen Kegui, who has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Rights groups reported how Chen Kegui used a kitchen knife to defend himself when security officials entered his house on April 27th. Three people were injured, none of them critically, said Chen Kegui’s lawyer, Liu Weiguo, who insisted that his client was acting in self-defence. His nephew’s wife also appeared to be missing.
