Human rights defender Gao Zhisheng who is currently 'missing'

Human rights defender and self-taught lawyer Gao Zhisheng was named one of China's top ten lawyers by the Ministry of Justice in 2001. However, after beginning to investigate and draw attention to allegations of abuse against members of China’s religious minorities, he became subject to harassment, detentions and forced disappearances himself.

Further Information

The whereabouts of Gao Zhisheng are currently unknown. He has not been heard from since 20 April 2010.

In 2004 and 2005 Gao wrote three open letters to the Chinese leaders calling on the government to bring to a halt the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. As a result of this Gao’s license to practice law was revoked, his law firm shut down and his family began to face harassment from Chinese security forces.

In February 2006 Gao organised a “Relay Hunger Strike for Human Rights,” which involved human rights defenders and citizens fasting for 24 hours in rotation. This was launched to protest against state harassment and abuse of human rights defenders and the lawyers who represented them. Following his arrest in August 2006, Gao was convicted of ‘inciting subversion of state power’ in December 2006 and given a three year suspended sentence.

In September 2007, Gao Zhisheng wrote an open letter to the US Congress criticising his country’s human rights situation and its staging of the 2008 Olympics. Nine days later Gao was attacked on the street, hooded and forcibly disappeared. He later reported that for six weeks thereafter he was held incommunicado and subjected to beatings and repeated electric shocks all over his body.

His genitals were pierced with toothpicks and lit cigarettes were held up to his eyes for two hours, causing both to be swollen shut for two days. Amidst continuing intimidation, harassment and abuse, Gao’s family fled China in January 2009 for the United States. On 4 February 2009 Gao was once again forcibly disappeared. He resurfaced in late March 2010 after 13 months illegal secret detention. This reappearance was brief and only lasted until 20 April 2010. Since that date Gao Zhisheng has not be seen, nor have his family heard from him.

UPDATES

25/03/2011 - Gao Zhisheng has been awarded the Bindmans Law and Campaigning award at the Index on Censorship: Freedom of Expression Awards in London - Read here for further information

20/01/2011 - With the Chinese President Hu Jintao visiting the USA, please take this opportunity to lobby Obama to push for major improvements in Chinese human rights and of course the freedom of Gao Zhisheng.

10/10/2011 - Gao joins Front Line's campaign 'Ten on the Tenth'. The event was launched with ten well known faces taking part in a photo-call in Dublin on Human Rights Defenders Day to be launched on Human Rights Day in Dublin. Joining us were well known faces from the media, from the world of entertainment and from many other organisations working on the rights of the marginalised.