China dissident Chen Guangcheng's whereabouts a mystery

Mystery surrounds one of China's best known dissidents, Chen Guangcheng, following reports that he has escaped from house arrest. Rights activists say he slipped out of his home in Dongshigu town in Shandong province on Sunday. His exact whereabouts cannot be verified at the moment but human rights campaigners told the BBC they believe he has fled from Shandong province. He has been under house arrest since he was released from jail in 2010. Activist He Peirong, who has been campaigning for his freedom, told various sources that she drove him to "a safe place" outside Shandong. There are also unconfirmed rumours that Mr Chen, who is blind, is at the US Embassy in Beijing. The US embassy ''would not comment'', says an Associated Press news report. In the same report, Ms He denied the rumours published in Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao newspaper, saying that she has spoken to people at the embassy. "I can tell you he's not at the US Embassy, and he's not in Shandong,'' she told AP. An activist based in the US who has been in close contact with Mr Chen confirmed that the dissident had left Shandong. ''He was able to get out of his home on 22 April and his friends... escorted him to a safe location outside of (his home province of) Shandong," Bob Fu told the AFP news agency. Mr Chen, who has been under house arrest for almost 20 months, is known as ''the blind lawyer''. He lost his sight in childhood. He has no formal legal training as the blind were not permitted to attend college. He is known for revealing rights abuses under China's one-child policy and has accused officials in Shandong province of forcing 7,000 women into abortions or sterilisations. He has also advised farmers in land disputes and campaigned for improved treatment of the disabled. The plight of Mr Chen has become famous around the world, says the BBC's Jo Floto in Beijing. The US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has repeatedly called for his release and is due to visit Beijing next week.