BEIJING - Suddenly the guard posts came down and the hired toughs who manned them melted away, restoring an air of freedom this week to a village that authorities turned into a prison to keep blind activist Chen Guangcheng under house arrest for nearly two years.

The checkpoints, surveillance cameras, and other measures had remained in place until this past weekend even though Chen fled Dongshigu village six weeks ago for sanctuary at the US Embassy in Beijing and ultimately went to New York to study. While directed at Chen, the security restrictions made life uncomfortable for his fellow villagers, who felt liberated with their removal.