Blind Chinese activist leaves Beijing for U.S.
- 12 years ago
ROUGH CUT -NO REPORTER NARRATION
China allowed a blind legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, to leave a hospital in Beijing on Saturday (May 19) and board a plane bound for the United States, a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic standoff between the two countries.
The U.S. State Department said he was en route to the United States, along with his wife and two children. He boarded a United Airlines flight bound for Newark.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua said Chen had applied to study in the United States under legal procedures, in the first official account of Chen's activities, but made no mention of whether he had left the country. The Foreign Ministry said this month that Chen could apply to study abroad, a move seen as a way of easing Sino-U.S. tensions on human rights.
There was no immediate indication where Chen might pursue his studies, but New York University's law school has previously offered him a position as a "visiting scholar".
Chen, 40, who taught himself law, was a leading advocate of the rights defence movement. He gained prominence by campaigning for farmers and disabled citizens and exposing forced abortions.
China allowed a blind legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, to leave a hospital in Beijing on Saturday (May 19) and board a plane bound for the United States, a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic standoff between the two countries.
The U.S. State Department said he was en route to the United States, along with his wife and two children. He boarded a United Airlines flight bound for Newark.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua said Chen had applied to study in the United States under legal procedures, in the first official account of Chen's activities, but made no mention of whether he had left the country. The Foreign Ministry said this month that Chen could apply to study abroad, a move seen as a way of easing Sino-U.S. tensions on human rights.
There was no immediate indication where Chen might pursue his studies, but New York University's law school has previously offered him a position as a "visiting scholar".
Chen, 40, who taught himself law, was a leading advocate of the rights defence movement. He gained prominence by campaigning for farmers and disabled citizens and exposing forced abortions.