MCLC: Chen Guangcheng escapes house arrest

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Bill (billgoldman at mac.com)
Subject: Chen Guangcheng escapes house arrest
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Here are two reports, one from the BBC and one from The Guardian, on Chen
Guangcheng's escape.

Bill

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Source: BBC News (4/27/12):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17865465

China dissident Chen Guangcheng escapes house arrest
One of China's best known dissidents, Chen Guangcheng, has escaped from
house arrest and released a video addressed to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

In it he makes three demands, including one that Mr Wen investigate what
Mr Chen, who is blind, calls the brutal beating up of his family members.

Rights activists say Mr Chen slipped out of his home in Dongshigu town in
Shandong province on Sunday.

His whereabouts are unclear with some reports that he is safe in Beijing.

The BBC's Jo Floto in Beijing says the implication is that Mr Chen has
taken refuge in a diplomatic mission.

Mr Chen had been under house arrest since he was released from a four-year
jail sentence in 2010.

In the video posted online by Boxun, a Chinese dissident news website
based in the United States, Mr Chen asks that:

* Premier Wen investigate and prosecute local officials Mr Chen says beat
up his family members
* The safety of his family be ensured
* Corruption in general in China be dealt with and punished according to
the law

The Chinese authorities have come under international criticism for their
treatment of him. At one point his daughter was barred from school. Many
sympathisers who have tried to visit his home say they have been beaten up.

The plight of Mr Chen has become famous around the world. US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton has repeatedly called for his release and is due to
visit Beijing next week.

An activist based in the United States who has been in close contact with
Mr Chen confirmed that the dissident had left Shandong - about eight
hours' drive from Beijing.

"Now I can share with you Chen is now in the 100% safe location in
Beijing. That's how much I can share with you," Bob Fu, founder of
ChinaAid based in Texas in the US, told the BBC via email.

Another activist based in China, He Peirong, who has been campaigning for
his freedom, told various sources that she drove him to "a safe place"
outside Shandong.

There are also unconfirmed rumours that Mr Chen is at the US embassy in
Beijing. The US embassy "would not comment", says an Associated Press news
report.

In the same report, Ms He denied the rumours published in Singapore's
Lianhe Zaobao newspaper, saying that she had spoken to people at the
embassy.

"I can tell you he's not at the US embassy, and he's not in Shandong," she
told AP.

Lost sight

Chen Guangcheng, who has been under house arrest for almost 20 months
following his release after serving four years in jail, is known as "the
barefoot lawyer".

He lost his sight in childhood. He has no formal legal training as the
blind were not permitted to attend college.

He is known for revealing rights abuses under China's one-child policy and
has accused officials in Shandong province of forcing 7,000 women into
abortions or sterilisations.

He has also advised farmers in land disputes and campaigned for improved
treatment of the disabled.

Reports also surfaced on Friday that local authorities in China had
surrounded the house of Mr Chen's brother, Chen Guangfu, and nephew, Chen
Kegui.

Ms He told AP that the younger Mr Chen "took a cleaver for self-defence''.

"He said he hacked several people with the cleaver and wounded them," she
said.

Mr Fu also said, in the same report, that Chen Guangfu and Chen Kegui had
been detained by police.

======================================================

Source: The Guardian (4/27/12):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/27/chinese-activist-fears-insane-r
etribution

Chinese activist fears 'insane retribution' on family after escape
Blind rights activist Chen Guangcheng flees detention but expresses
'extreme concern' as authorities round up people who helped him
By Jonathan Watts in Beijing

The blind Chinese rights activist, Chen Guangcheng has made a daring
escape from his captors and put out a video exposing the abuse and
beatings that his family suffered under house arrest.

Evading almost 90 guards who have surrounded his village home for more
than a year, Chen is said to have found refuge in a "safe" location in
Beijing.

His revelations about the illegal detention ­ which included savage
beatings that left family members with broken bones and harrassment of his
children ­ throw a harsh light on a Chinese government that is already
reeling from a corruption and wire-tapping scandal sparked by the death of
British businessman Neil Heywood.

Looking gaunt, Chen blamed his treatment on local officials and the
Chinese state's obsession with maintaining stability at all costs. He said
his greatest concern was that the authorities would carry out "insane
retribution" on his family, several of whom have already been placed under
arrest.

Human rights <http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/human-rights> campaigners
expressed delight that Chen ­ whose protracted, illegal detention has
drawn international attention ­ is no longer in the hands of the
authorities, but there are concerns about revenge attacks on his wife,
children, brother and human rights activists who helped him gain liberty.

"I have confirmed that Chen is now in Beijing. I would say the fact that
he successfully escaped is a miracle," said Hu Jia, a prominent rights
activist. "It's like a real Chinese version of The Shawshank Redemption. I
heard he got through eight security checks."

In a video message, Chen confirmed he was beaten and said 90 to 100 local
officials were involved in his detention. He expressed "extreme concern"
about retaliation against his family. Chen confirmed reports about his
maltreatment that have appeared over the years. "The truth was even
worse," he said. "I formally made three requests to Premier Wen Jiabao.
First, severely punish criminals. Second, look into this yourself, and
third, send a special investigation team to find out the truth."

Chen is believed to have used the cover of darkness in which his blindness
­ he lost his sight at the age of five ­ gave him an advantage over his
captors. He previously attempted to dig a tunnel without success.

It is not yet clear how Chen evaded the officials, police and plainclothes
thugs who have been permanently camped in and around his home in Linyi
since his release from prison in 2010. But activists said it was not an
individual, opportunistic bid for freedom.

"This wasn't a sudden thing. In order to escape from a place with so many
guards must have taken a great deal of planning," said Phelim Kine of
Human Rights Watch.

Chen's exact whereabouts are unknown. Several sources said he was in a
place that was safe from the scrutiny of security agencies, prompting
speculation that he may have taken refuge in a foreign embassy or
consulate. The US embassy has declined to comment on the case.

According to the US-based group China
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/china> Aid, Chen was "100% safe" in
Beijing. But the group said that the activist He Peirong, one of the
people who helped Chen flee, was arrested at her home in Nanjing on Friday
morning.

He, who is said to have been in close contact with the Chen family, had
earlier told CNN that Chen's hands were trembling, but his spirits were
high. She said he was injured in the escape.

If Chen is caught, he faces the risk of severe extra-legal punishment from
his guards. Several people close to Chen have already been rounded up,
prompting fears of retribution.

According to Human Rights in China <http://www.hrichina.org/content/5991>,
Chen's father and older brother were taken away from Dongshigu village on
Thursday evening. His nephew, Chen Kegui, is also in hiding after a bloody
battle with a kitchen knife when he tried to defend his mother from
intruders led by the village chief.
Local public security bureaus were not picking up their phones.

"The wife [Yuan Weijing], children and mother are on the extreme edge of
vulnerability. They have already been brutally victimised for merely
trying to get outside the compound for food or medical attention, so it is
quite likely that the plainclothes thugs will react quite brutally to his
escape. It is our hope that all diplomatic missions will make strong
representations for their safety," said Kine.

Chen has suffered the wrath of Shandong officials since 2005, when he
exposed a programme of forced abortions to reach targets linked to China's
one-child policy. Although he was released from a four-year jail term in
September 2010, he and his family have continued to suffer detention and
beatings.

Until his current safety and liberty are confirmed, associates say they
fear for his health, which deteriorated during his detention.

"I don't know if he is safe now and I am worried about him," said the
lawyer Teng Biao. "Chen was not given freedom after being released from
prison and he was sick and did not have a chance to see a proper doctor. I
am worried about him."