BEIJING (AP) — A close friend of Chen Guangcheng says the blind legal activist agreed to stay in China only to protect his family after receiving threats that his wife would be beaten to death if he left the country.
Beijing activist Zeng Jinyan told The Associated Press on Wednesday via Skype that she had just finished talking to Chen, who is in a Beijing hospital with his wife and children.
Zeng said Chen told her that he wanted to go to abroad but was forced to accept a deal to remain in China and go to law school in order to protect his family.
Zeng says Chen was told his wife would be beaten to death if he didn’t accept, but she didn’t say who made the threat.
