TAIPEI: Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who has accused New York University of bowing to Chinese pressure to ask him to leave, refused to shed light on the issue yesterday, adding to the mystery of a case that has been marred by allegations of lies and spying.
Chen has maintained his silence for a week since he made his accusations that have been vigorously denied by the university, which says the fellowship was only ever planned to last a year.
Chen sparked a diplomatic crisis between the United States and China after he fled house arrest in China and sought refuge at the US Embassy in Beijing. He has been a research fellow at NYU Law School since he flew to the United States in May 2012.
His accusations, which have sparked a debate on US academic freedom, have baffled some of his closest friends, including Jerome Cohen, an NYU law professor who helped broker the deal for Chen to study in the United States.
Chen, who is in Taipei to meet Taiwan opposition lawmakers and address Taiwan’s parliament, bristled when pressed to detail evidence behind his accusations. “Why do you keep asking about NYU?” he asked. “I’ll wait till a more suitable time to talk.”
Chen also said he did not know about possible spyware being inserted into an iPhone and iPad given to him as gifts. The gadgets were intended to spy on Chen, according to Cohen and another source familiar with the episode. “I’m not a PC expert,” Chen said.
Reuters
