Blind activist Chen Guangcheng says China violated his US freedom deal
The Chinese human rights activist at the centre of a diplomatic crisis a year ago on Tuesday accused Beijing of reneging on the agreement that freed him and urged the United States to intervene.
Chen Guangcheng, a blind self-taught lawyer who infuriated authorities by exposing forced abortions, dramatically escaped house arrest in April last year by scaling the walls of his home and taking a getaway car to the US embassy.
Not only has the Chinese government not fulfilled its own promises to me a year ago, but it has also become worse as they have not stopped persecuting my family members
China allowed Chen to leave in May for the United States after protracted negotiations. But Chen charged that Beijing violated promises in the agreement to ensure his family’s safety and to investigate the past abuses.
In an interview, Chen voiced anger over a prison sentence handed in November to his nephew, Chen Kegui, who the activist said had been severely beaten as retaliation for the escape that made headlines around the world.
“Not only has the Chinese government not fulfilled its own promises to me a year ago, but it has also become worse as they have not stopped persecuting my family members,” Chen said.
“This in itself shows that the Chinese communist regime has no intention to change its course,” he said.