(Newser)
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Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng says his family is facing intimidation and reprisals in the wake of his escape, and a Sky News crew managed to elude authorities long enough to get interviews with his brother and mother to back up the claims. A snippet from an interview with brother Chen Guangfu, who says China wanted details on how his blind brother made his daring escape:
- "They handcuffed me, and tied me to a chair. Then they chained my legs together and began to hit me around the head. They removed my own leather belt, looped it together, and then hit me with that as well."
His elderly mother, too, says she gets routinely followed by three or four men. "They search my clothes, my bag, my pockets. Sometimes even my shoes." The Sky News video shows reporter Holly Williams getting manhandled as two men in hats and sunglasses put an end to filming elsewhere. Meanwhile, Chen's nephew remains in custody and in serious legal trouble. Family members say he brandished a knife to defend himself from a beating inside his home.
