Blind activist Chen Guangcheng goes to US

Tags:
2012-05-20

Human rights activist Chen Guangcheng has been allowed to leave China for a trip to the United States.

a756e5e63dc012ff.jpg

Chen, with his wife and children, left China in a quiet departure on Saturday on board a US plane.

The blind activist, who has angered authorities in the past with his stance on abuse of power issues, had been causing headlines over the past weeks following a dramatic escape from 19 months of house arrest in his village.

The US had to deal with the follow-up to his escape, after Chen made his way to the US embassy in Beijing.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting China at the time.

The incident caused a major diplomatic row but ended when China agreed to allow Chen to go to New York University law school where he had been invited as a "visiting scholar."

Chen, a self-taught lawyer, has said he intends to return to China.

Source: China News.Net