Blind Chinese Dissident Escaped House Arrest, Under U.S. Protection

STR/AFP/GettyImages(NEW YORK) -- A blind Chinese dissident is under protection from U.S. officials after he escaped from house arrest, U.S.-based rights group ChinaAid says, the BBC reports.

The group says that high-level talks are taking place between U.S. and Chinese officials over Chen Guangcheng's fate. Guangcheng escaped from house arrest last Sunday by scaling a high wall and then being driven hundreds of miles to Beijing, the BBC says. He released a video addressed to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao that was posted online by U.S.-based Chinese dissident site Boxun, asking him to investigate and prosecute local officials he says beat his family members, ensure his family's well-being and deal with and punish corruption in China according to the law, according to the BBC.

The incident could overshadow a visit to Beijing next week by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has repeatedly called for Guangcheng's release, the BBC says.

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