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Blind Activist: I Want to Leave China

Deal to free him could be falling apart.

Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng broke his silence on Wednesday, telling the Associated Press that he did not want to stay in China, and a friend of Chen’s said he had told her that he feared for his family’s safety. By 11 p.m. local time, activists who had spoken to Chen at the hospital said he had been told his family members would be beaten to death if he did not leave the U.S. Embassy. While Chinese officials have said they will grant Chen and his family freedom, many have questioned the validity of those statements. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Beijing for previously scheduled talks, said she is “pleased” with the deal struck for Chen’s freedom—if China sticks to its end of the deal.