Brother of blind activist goes missing

Beijing: The brother of blind activist Chen Guangcheng has gone missing, a lawyer said yesterday, days after he fled his village in northeastern China to seek help for his son who has been detained in a case that has become a rallying point among rights activists. Chen Guangfu, the eldest brother of Chen Guangcheng, fled his home in Shandong province and arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to seek legal help for his son, Chen Kegui, who is being held on an attempted murder charge.

He appears to have become the latest target of the government's reprisals against Chen Guangcheng's family in the wake of the blind activist's escape from his village in late April after 19 months of detention.

Chen Guangfu did not return to his hotel room in Beijing on Friday night, Shandong-based lawyer Liu Weiguo said.

Zhao Wei, a supporter of Chen Guangcheng's family, was the last person to have contact with Chen Guangfu before they parted ways on Friday afternoon, Liu said.