The blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng left Beijing yesterday (Saturday) for a new life in New York.
Four weeks after he made a daring escape from house arrest, the self-taught legal activist, his wife and two children caught a flight to Newark, New Jersey.
The Chinese authorities kept Mr Chen in suspense until the last minute. Having been allowed to fill out a passport application only last Wednesday, Mr Chen and his family were whisked in a heavily guarded motorcade from the hospital in central Beijing where he has been held for the past two and half weeks to the airport.
He was not given any travel documents or a firm idea of his ultimate destination.
Mr Chen, 40, is expected to take up the offer of a fellowship to study law at New York University.
Supporters of Mr Chen say his family is already suffering reprisals, with his brother placed under house arrest and his cousin accused of attempted murder.
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