Chinese dissident now wants to leave the country immediately
May 3, 2012
Just a few short hours after Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng left the U.S. Embassy and claimed he felt safe returning to China, he has rebuked his former claim and now wants to leave the country.
Yesterday Chen, a blind human rights lawyer, told reporters he was pressured by the Chinese government to leave the embassy. MSNBC reports Chen was promised security for himself and his family by Chinese officials if he would leave the safety of the American Embassy, but he now wants to leave the country as soon as possible.
"My fervent hope is that it would be possible for me and my family to leave for the U.S. on Hillary Clinton's plane," Chen told The Daily Beast.
Chen told the news source he believed an American official would accompany him at the hospital, but once he arrived, his foreign companions left his side. His wife and two children are currently with him at the hospital, and Chen reports the staff made his family wait hours for food, despite asking several times for something to eat. He has also had difficulty getting in contact with anyone at the embassy.
Those who want to find out more about Chen's story as it unfolds can make calls to China with international phone cards and ask their friends.