A guard outside Chaoyang hospital, where Chen Guangcheng is reportedly being treated after his escape from house arrest. Photograph: Jason Lee/Reuters
The Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has said police detained his sister-in-law and nephew in a campaign of revenge against his family, as he prepares to move to the US.
Chen's escape last month from house arrest in Dongshigu, Shandong province, cast a harsh light on local officials, embarrassed China's internal security apparatus and earned diplomats' consternation as they struggled to cope with his request for refuge.
Officials from Beijing and Washington appeared to strike a face-saving deal last week that would allow Chen to study in New York or Washington with his wife and children. But while he is confident of his own safety, Chen told the Guardian he was worried about relatives left behind.
"The crazy retaliation against my family has started," he said by phone. "My sister-in-law was arrested and is now released on bail. They have accused her of harbouring a fugitive, but they didn't say who."
His nephew Chen Kegui was detained earlier this month and is under investigation over the stabbing of village guards who intruded into his home while they were searching for the blind activist.
Chen said he still expected to move to the US but was unsure when. He is receiving treatment in Chaoyang hospital for an intestinal infection and is in plaster after he broke his foot during his escape.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it would accept his application to travel overseas, but Chen said he had not yet received a response from them about his application.
Chen has been offered fellowships by New York University and the University of Washington.
It is thought he will study law, but he may first need a language primer. Chen said he can manage conversational English, which he taught himself many years ago.
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