BEIJING, May 18 (UPI) -- Chen Guangcheng's brother said he was beaten for three days to force him to reveal how the blind Chinese activist fled house arrest.
Chen Guangfu told Hong Kong magazine iSunAffairs.com of the beatings, and his son, Chen Kegui, was accused of attempted murder for fighting back against similar punishment, Britain's Guardian reported Friday.
Chen Guangfu said local officials came to his home after his brother fled to the U.S. embassy in Beijing last month.
"They put me on a chair, bound my feet with iron chains and locked my hands with handcuffs behind my back," a transcript of the magazine interview released to the BBC indicated. "They pulled my hands upwards forcefully. Then they slapped me in the face."
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Chen Guangfu's wife, Ren Zongju, said officials attacked her son while at their home.
"They started fighting inside the house. So many people were beating him. His face was bleeding, and his legs. His trousers were ripped," the transcript quoted her as saying.
Under an agreement between the United States and Chinese governments, Chen Guangcheng, who is in a Beijing hospital for medical treatment, expects to be given permission to study in New York.
U.S. authorities said visas for Chen and his family have been prepared; Chinese officials said passports and travel permission will be ready in 15 days.
"I am not worrying. For sure I can get my visa within two weeks," Chen told The Guardian Friday. "My worry now is for my family. The local police have confessed that they beat [my nephew] Chen Kegui so his fight back is just self-defense."
The Guardian said it was unclear which family members will travel to the United States with Chen.
