Chen Guangcheng at Beijing airport, waiting to leave for the United States
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The blind
dissident Chen Guangcheng is at the airport in
Beijing and is waiting to leave
for the United States. He
announced as much this morning. "I'm at the airport. I do not have a passport. I don't know when I will
be leaving. I think I'm going to New York"- he told
AFP.
According to Chen, the Chinese
authorities will give his
passport directly to U.S.
officials to fill out a visa for the
U.S. before handing it over to him.
Chen, known worldwide for his battles against forced abortions and illegal
expropriation of land, and his family were informed Saturday to "pack your bags and be ready to leave
China" for the United States. The same activist reported
the news to ChinaAid's president, Bob Fu, on Saturday.
This morning, a photographer who was outside the hospital where Chen was hospitalized reported seeing a motorcade leaving the building.
Chen Guangcheng's case exploded last April 26, when the dissident succeeded in escaping from the illegal house arrest
that had been imposed
on him by the regime after four years in prison. Chen
took refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing, sparking a diplomatic
battle between Beijing and
Washington, engaged in the
annual bilateral economic talks. After two days,
the dissident left the embassy with
the reassurance of being able to leave the country and was hospitalized.
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