NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng is worried his nephew will be subjected to a revenge show trial by Chinese officials and will work to publicize his plight from New York, a supporter said on Wednesday after meeting Chen.
Chen, who escaped from house arrest last month and sought refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, arrived in New York with his family on Saturday after China let him leave a hospital to quell a diplomatic rift with the United States.
"He can smell another fake trial is going to happen, and his nephew will face a tremendous revenge," Bob Fu, the president of Texas-based Christian advocacy group ChinaAid, said after meeting Chen, who is going to study law at New York University.
"He is very concerned, he repeatedly told me that's going to be his immediate concern, his focus. He will speak up for his nephew, for his other family members and other supporters, who are facing persecution ... he will continue to engage from the United States," Fu said.
Chen's nephew, Chen Kegui, has been charged with "intentional homicide" and accused of using knives to fend off local officials who burst into his home on April 27, the day after they discovered his uncle had escaped house arrest.
Chen Kegui was denied his family's choice of defense lawyers on Friday, the latest in a series of moves to deny him legal representation that underscores the hardline stance taken against Chen Guangcheng's family.
"(Chen's) appealing for continuing focus and care from the international community," Fu told Reuters, adding that Chen said the United States had already raised concerns with China about his nephew's case.
While Chen has been settling in to Manhattan's Greenwich Village, where New York University is based, his relatives and supporters in China's Shandong province remain locked down by security authorities.
"GOOD SPIRITS"
Chen's escape from house arrest in northeastern China and six-day stay at the U.S. Embassy embarrassed Beijing and created an awkward backdrop for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to improve ties between the world's two biggest economies.
He injured his feet during his escape and arrived in New York on crutches.
"He's in good spirits, and physically, I think improving," Fu said.
Chen was jailed for a little more than four years starting in 2006 on what he and his supporters say were trumped-up charges designed to end his advocacy.
Chen had accused Shandong province officials in 2005 of forcing women to have late-term abortions and sterilizations to comply with China's strict family planning policies. Authorities moved against him with charges of whipping up a crowd that disrupted traffic and damaged property.
Formally released in 2010, Chen remained under house arrest in his home village, which officials turned into a fortress of walls, security cameras and plainclothes guards.
Fu said Chen will likely continue his activism while studying as a fellow at New York University's School of Law and also expects to return to China in the future.
"I think he will continue to allocate some time to speak up when it's needed, especially for this rule of law issue, injustice happening in China," Fu said. "He certainly expects the Chinese government will allow him to go back one day."
(Writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)