Brother of blind Chinese activist says he was beaten up

The eldest brother of blind Chinese activist Chen Guangchengsaid he was beaten up on Thursday by two men he said were government-hiredthugs, which would mark a sharp escalation in harassment meted out to Chen'sfamily.

The treatment of Chen Guangcheng's family has receivedprominent attention from the United States in recent weeks and could causefurther friction between Beijing and Washington over human rights.

Chen Guangfu said he was beaten by unidentified men in whatappeared to be the latest incident of harassment of Chen Guangcheng's familysince mid-April, around the anniversary of his escape from 19 months of housearrest.

Chen Guangfu, 56, said two young men punched and chased him ashe was heading home to his village of Dongshigu in the eastern province ofShandong.

The men, who appeared well-dressed and in their 20s, jumpedout of a black car and hit him repeatedly on the head, he said. He said he wasnot seriously injured in the beating that lasted several minutes.

"I started shouting and running away from them at thesame time," Chen told Reuters by telephone, about 10 minutes after theincident happened.

"This is a continuation of what has been happening tome since April 18," Chen said, adding that he believed the men weregovernment-hired thugs. "My feeling is that they didn't appear to befarmers."

Police in Linyi city, which has authority over the villageof Dongshigu, could not be reached for comment.

Chen Guangfu recently told Reuters that security personnelhad carried out a nightly harassment campaign, throwing rocks, bottles and deadpoultry at his house for 12 nights in a row.

Chen Guangcheng, who made international headlines last yearwhen he escaped house arrest and spent 20 hours on the run before findingrefuge at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, called on the United States last week toensure his family in China was treated fairly.

Chen Guangcheng's decision to take refuge in the U.S.embassy was deeply embarrassing for China, and led to a diplomatic tusslebefore China allowed him to fly to the United States with his wife and child.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tried calling ChineseForeign Minister Wang Yi to discuss a nephew of Chen's who has been imprisonedbut Wang was not available, the State Department said last week.

Chen Guangfu's jailed son, Chen Kegui, had been diagnosedwith appendicitis and urgently needs medical care, Chen Guangfu said, but hehad not been offered surgery for the condition.

Chen Guangcheng is a self-schooled legal advocate whocampaigned against forced abortions. He was jailed for four years on chargesthat he and his supporters said were spurious, and then held in his villagehome for 19 months after being released.