A blind Chinese activist who fled detention and spent almost a week sheltered in the U.S. embassy in Beijing says he wants to leave China because he fears for the safety of his family. Chen Guangchen told the Associated Press and CNN television that he left the embassy Wednesday after the United States secured China’s promise that he and his family would be safe and he would be permitted to continue his education. Chen told reporters that after reuniting with his wife he learned of the threats made to his family and he no longer feels safe. Threats VOA’s Ira Mellman spoke with Jerome Cohen, a law Professor at the New York University Law School, Co Director of the US-Asia Law Institute and an Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies the council of Foreign Relations. Professor Cohen spoke with Chen extensively over the past week and was instrumental in drawing up an agreement between Chen and the Chinese government. U.S. expert on China Jerome Cohen, who is Chen’s friend, told VOA that he does not know what Chen said after leaving the U.S. embassy, but that the last time they talked, Chen was excited about the idea of staying in China and reuniting with his family. “My last talk with him was when he agreed that it sounded like an exciting idea, that was good, and would keep him in China and although he knew there were risks, he knew it would be worthwhile, and it would allow him to be reunited with the family, and it would allow him for the first time now the formal opportunity to study law and to develop cooperative relationship in China and the outside toward building a genuine legal system,” he said. Cohen urged rights groups and social networks not to undermine U.S.-China agreement regarding Chen. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Wednesday that U.S. officials had received no threats from China regarding Chen and that the activist wants to pursue educational opportunities and continue his work in China. “This was a decision that he reached with us through our interactions with the Chinese authorities, that he wanted to stay in China, that he wanted to pursue his studies, that he wanted to continue his work. We tried to work with him so that he could achieve these goals. We believe we did that. He wanted to stay in China. He did not want to seek political asylum,” he said. After the agreement was reached, U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke accompanied Chen to a hospital where he was given medical treatment and reunited with his family. Related video report by Scott Stearns Secretary Clinton’s call U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement earlier Wednesday that she is pleased that U.S. officials were able to facilitate Chen’s stay and departure from the embassy “in a way that reflected his choices and our values.” A U.S. official earlier said Chen had spoken by phone with Clinton and thanked her for supporting his case. China urged the United States to stop “misleading” the public about Chen’s case. The Chen controversy is likely to overshadow high-level security and economic talks between the U.S. and China that begin Thursday. Clinton is in Beijing for the talks. Chen, under house arrest since 2010, escaped from detention on April 22 and later took shelter in the U.S. embassy, sparking a diplomatic standoff. China’s official Xinhua news agency Wednesday reported Chen’s departure from the embassy. It said Chen had stayed at the facility for six days before leaving “of his own volition.” China demands apology China’s foreign ministry demanded the United States apologize for taking in Chen, calling it an unacceptable interference in Chinese affairs. It also said the U.S. should give assurances no other dissidents will be given refuge. Some human rights groups and activists remain skeptical the situation has been fully resolved despite Chen’s departure from the embassy. Phelim Kine, a senior Asia researcher at U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, told VOA that Chen is likely to continue speaking against China’s human rights violations. “It’s very much our hope that the U.S. has carefully thought through the very real threats to the safety and well-being of Chen Guangcheng and his family and his supporters in China and has negotiated a resolution that takes those considerations into account and ensures that he will indeed be safe once he is outside of U.S. diplomatic protection,” Kine said. Chen is a lawyer and human rights activist who has been blind since childhood. He was given a four-year prison sentence in 2006 for exposing abuses under China’s forced abortion policy aimed at population control. He had been under house arrest since 2010, before escaping on April 22. He posted an Internet video last week saying he, his wife, and young daughter were abused during his house arrest. He also called on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to investigate human rights abuses in China. “Chinese Dissidents Who Have Left Their Homeland” Fang Lizhi : The leading astrophysicist stayed at U.S. Embassy for 13 months after China’s 1989 crackdown at Tiananmen Square. He left China in 1990 and died this year in the U.S. Wei Jingsheng : The democracy activist flew to the U.S. in 1997 after more than 14 years in prison. Rebiya Kadeer : Convicted of endangering state security, the Uighur rights activist now lives in the U.S. Wu’er Kaixi : The student leader fled China with the help of a secret network after the Tiananmen Square demonstrations. Liao Yiwu : Known for “The Corpse Walker” interviews with people on the margin of Chinese society, he fled to Germany in 2011 Yu Jie : Authored a book critical of Premier Wen Jiabao and left for the U.S. in 2012 after being detained repeatedly and beaten. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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