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Gao Zhisheng – missing again We are sad to report that Gao Zhisheng, is missing again, following his celebrated reappearance earlier this year. A Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Christian human rights lawyer, Gao has published several reports and open letters detailing the human rights restrictions in China, including on religious freedom.
Gao’s family took asylum in the US shortly before his disappearance on 4 February 2009. Since this time CSW and other advocacy groups had put pressure on China to release details of Gao’s condition and whereabouts. CSW’s press conference on 24 March and high-level lobbying at the EU and House of Lords marked over 400 days since his disappearance. Fearing the worst up until this point, Gao’s family were overwhelmed to speak to him by phone and hear he was alive, according to China Aid. Gao also was able to make contact with several close friends and western reporters, including ex-colleague Li Heping. It was shortly after this, on 20 April, that Gao was last seen. His current whereabouts are unknown. Under pressure for speaking up for human rights… Gao has exposed many injustices faced by Christian house church leaders and by practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline. His fearless pursuit of justice has brought continual threats to his life and security. He was the target for several attempted ‘accidents’ with vehicles, and has been arrested and tortured numerous times in recent years. In 2007, Gao underwent over 50 days of torture at the hands of the authorities following an open letter he sent to the US Congress detailing human rights abuses and calling for the international community’s acknowledgement of the Chinese government’s misleading propaganda in the run up to the Beijing Olympic Games. Gao once predicted that every human rights lawyer in China would one day become a human rights case. He was convinced that if he were to suffer for standing for truth, people of justice would stand with him. Now is your chance to show that we are a people of justice. Please join us in upholding Gao Zhisheng and his family in prayer.
Gao's case timeline 20 April 2010 28 March 2010 24 March 2010 March 2010 February 2009 2007 China background: China is a country where internationally-recognised religious freedom standards are sometimes ignored, despite freedom of religion being enshrined in the Constitution. Cases of persecution against Christians have lessened in recent years, but some Christians in some parts of China still face harassment, humiliation, fines, church closures, imprisonment, torture and forced labour. The work of human rights lawyers like Gao is absolutely vital, as the government continues its attempts to silence those who speak out
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