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Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, writing in his column in the New York Times, has said that the absence of the rule of law is a "fundamental question" that the Chinese government has to face. "Lawlessness could be the biggest challenge to China 's political stability and must be tackled," the BBC quoted Chen, as writing. The blind human rights lawyer caused a diplomatic crisis when he fled to the US embassy in Beijing last month and spent almost a week there before going to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during his flight from house arrest in late April. After weeks of uncertainty, the activist, his wife Yuan Weijing and their two children were allowed to fly to the US on 19 May. Chen said he and his family had been confined ''illegally'' to their home in Dongshigu village since 2005, ''cutting us off from all contact with other villagers and the world''. The officials who dealt with his case were able to ''openly flout the nation's laws in many ways for many years''. "The government needed to confront the discrepancies between ''the law on the books'' and ''the law in practice''," Chen said in a piece published on the New York Times website. Now, his nephew Chen Kegui is being charged with attempted murder. Lawyers who have volunteered to defend the young Kegui say they have been prevented from representing him. Last week Chen's brother and Chen Kegui's father, Chen Guangfu, escaped the village to seek help for his son in Beijing . He is now believed to be back in the village. ''The independent defence lawyers who tried to help me and now my nephew face daily danger and unfair treatment,'' Chen wrote. He reiterated his call for Chinese authorities to honour their promise to him to conduct a ''thorough and public investigation'' into alleged abuses against his family. He said that China was ''at a critical juncture'' with a top leadership change due to take place later this year and the issue of ''lawlessness'' could threaten political stability.

Chinese dissident Chen claims China has no 'rule of law'