China’s official People’s Daily reports that Shandong Province where blind Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng was under house arrest has dismissed the top official in charge of the courts, prosecution and police.

Bai Jimin was sacked from the standing committee of the Communist Party in the eastern province of Shandong. His dismissal comes after Chen took refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing in late April and was allowed to leave China for the U.S. a month later.

The blind Chinese human rights lawyer has been demanding the punishment of provincial and city officials, saying he and his family were frequently beaten and isolated from their friends and supporters during the 19-month house arrest.

The Communist Party of Shandong Province decided to sack Bai on May 29th. But the People’s Daily did not elaborate on the official reason of his dismissal.