Chinese Dissident Changes Mind, Now Wants US Asylum

Questions hang over the fate of blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who's now appealing for asylum within the U . s . a ..

A few hours after Chen's departure from the U.S. embassy, the tale about his release started to unravel.  

The key question of whether Chen desired to stay in China or leave for the usa overshadowed Thursday's high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials in Beijing.

American ambassador to China Gary Locke told reporters Thursday that he had no doubts in the future earlier, when U.S. officials escorted Chen from the embassy to a Beijing hospital.

“We asked him what did he desire to do? Did he wish to leave? Was he able to leave? And we waited several minutes, after which suddenly, very excited, very eager, [he] said, “let's go,” in front of many, many witnesses," Locke recalled.

The ambassador urged patience and defended the agreement that reportedly would allow Chen to remain in China.

Backtrack

However Chen himself looked as if it would backtrack at the deal hours before Locke's news conference. The lawyer told foreign journalists in phone conversations that he wants asylum within the U.s.a. for himself and his family.

Chen said he now thinks his rights and safety can't be assured.  Although he had initially thought of staying in China, Chen said he now has changed his mind and desires to go away the rustic.

U.S. officials say they try to get a stronger understanding of Chen's wishes and should seek to assist him achieve his objectives.

No comment

At a daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin gave no details of Chen's arrangements to stay in China, and does not say if China will consider a travel request from him.

Liu said the incident constituted interference in China's internal affairs. He often known as at the U.S. government to abide by Chinese law, but he didn't repeat Beijing's demand that Washington apologize.

Call for help

New York University law professor Jerome Cohen says he was called in to assist with negotiations earlier this week, in fact sides - including Chen - had already agreed to what he described positively as an "unusual arrangement".

“It appeared like an exhilarating concept that was good and would keep him in China," Cohen said. "And although he knew there have been risks, he knew it'd be worthwhile, it can allow him to be reunited with the family, it will allow him, for the primary time, to have a proper opportunity to review law and to develop cooperative relationships in China and outdoors, towards the building of a real legal system.”

Cohen says he believes American diplomats negotiated in good faith and the Chinese government has to date lived as much as its end of the agreement. But he says he's worried that some human rights groups at the moment are seeking to influence Chen.

“We should be careful, the human rights community should be careful, especially, to not get into its own internecine conflict. i feel this can be a remarkable agreement and we need to test the Chinese government, to peer whether it really will carry it out, and we need to carry it out. And it demands a powerful Chen Guangcheng, and that is the reason going to take a little time until he can get over this ordeal,” Cohen said.

Fate of helpers

Another issue that activists say deserves attention is the fate of these who helped Chen escape last month from his highly-guarded house arrest.

Human Rights Watch's Sophie Richardson says she is particularly thinking about the case of Nanjing activist He Peirong, referred to as Pearl, who has not been heard from since Chen went to the embassy last week.

“We haven't any way of knowing whether she remains being detained not directly, whether she's been detained again or whether she is just lying low,” Richardson said.

About Chen

Chen is a 40-year-old self-taught lawyer who spent four years in prison after exposing forced abortions and sterilizations by Chinese family planning authorities. After being released from jail in September 2010, he were illegally confined to his house and beaten by plainclothes thugs.

Chen made headline news when he fled to the U.S. embassy last month. He left the yank mission Wednesday, and was reunited together with his family at a Beijing hospital, where he's currently being treated for a broken foot.

From WhatNewsToday.net

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