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 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.