Blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng has confirmed his dramatic escape from house arrest.
In a video posted online today, Mr Chen appealed to Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao to keep his family safe.
He also revealed the names of several government officials he claims had beaten him and his wife, and made his son's life a misery.
"Even though I am now free, I am still concerned because my family - my mother, my wife, my child are still in their hands," he said.
"They have hurt them for a long time, and they could enact crazed revenge on them because of my departure. This revenge could be completely unrestrained."
Mr Chen won worldwide acclaim for his campaigning on forced sterilisations and late-term abortions under China's "one-child" policy.
He said he escaped from his village in the eastern province of Shandong on Sunday.
There are reports that he is in the US embassy in Beijing.
The US state department has declined to comment on the claim.
The 40-year-old lawyer had been under house arrest along with his wife and young son since he was released from a four-year jail sentence in September 2010.
In the video posted on YouTube, Mr Chen called on Mr Wen to punish government and police officials he claimed had made his life a misery during the 19 months he spent under house arrest.
Bob Fu, a US-based activist who is in close contact with Chen, told AFP news agency the blind lawyer was now in a "100% safe" location in Beijing.
