Obama Urged to Secure Release of Chinese Lawyer Gao Zhisheng (NTD Television)
When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton elucidated U.S. concerns about human rights in China last Friday, she named Gao Zhisheng, and when 32 members of Congress sent a cosigned letter to Obama, and 12 human rights organizations sent their letters, Gao’s name was prominent.
Rallying outside the White House and at the State Department on Jan. 19, hundreds of people from China democracy groups, Taiwan democracy organizations, and members of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, which is banned in China, all called attention to the Christian human rights lawyer. He has managed to get his story out eloquently to the international community, despite torture sessions and forced disappearances since 2006.
Falun Gong practitioner Charles Lee traveled from New York to Washington on Wednesday to deliver a message from the European Parliament calling on President Obama to raise Gao’s case with Chinese authorities.
Lee survived illegal detention and was rescued to the United States in 2006 with support from the international community. The medical doctor, who is also an American citizen, spent three years in a Chinese prison, where he endured mental torture, including sleep deprivation, monitors who prevented him from practicing Falun Gong exercises, and relentless attempts at brainwashing. Prison agents spared nothing in attempting to force him into renounce his commitment to Falun Gong’s teaching of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance.
European Parliament vice president for democracy and human rights, Edward McMillan-Scott, issued a press release calling on President Obama to raise Gao’s case to Hu and demand the lawyer’s immediate release. European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek also called on the Chinese government to reveal Gao’s whereabouts and well-being, at the opening of a plenary in Strasbourg.
“Europe will not forget about Gao, and we must show a united front with America to secure his release. I urge President Obama to give a clear and consistent message to [President] Hu Jintao at their meeting in Washington,” stated McMillan-Scott.
The Eurozone action was prompted by the recent release by Gao’s wife, Geng He, of Speaking from My Heart, a previously unreleased prologue to Dark Night, Dark Hood, and Kidnapping by Dark Mafia, which is Gao’s account of 50 harrowing days of torture he endured at the hands of Chinese security agents from September-November in 2007.
That torture included furious beatings, electric shocks to his genitals, and burning cigarettes held close to his eyes for hours. He wrote that some of the torture he would never describe.
In Speaking from My Heart, Gao acknowledged his “friends outside the country who truly care about human rights in China,” and he thanked McMillan-Scott and the “ladies and gentlemen of the European Union” for their “selfless moral support, and our hope in fighting for freedom and human rights.”
Gao’s Voice Is Heard
The Eurozone action was prompted by the recent release by Gao’s wife, Geng He, of Speaking from My Heart, a previously unreleased prologue to Dark Night, Dark Hood, and Kidnapping by Dark Mafia, which is Gao’s account of 50 harrowing days of torture he endured at the hands of Chinese security agents from September-November in 2007.
That torture included furious beatings, electric shocks to his genitals, and burning cigarettes held close to his eyes for hours. He wrote that some of the torture he would never describe.
In Speaking from My Heart, Gao acknowledged his “friends outside the country who truly care about human rights in China,” and he thanked McMillan-Scott and the “ladies and gentlemen of the European Union” for their “selfless moral support, and our hope in fighting for freedom and human rights.”
Gao’s trouble with the authorities began after his 2004 investigations of abuse against Falun Gong practitioners in China prompted him to write a series of open letters to the highest levels of the Chinese government. In his letters he detailed his findings and expressed his belief that Falun Gong practitioners’ rights were being severely violated.
Falun Gong practitioners numbering in the tens of millions according the Chinese government’s own investigations prior to 1999, have been targeted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with a campaign of persecution in which no measure was to be considered too excessive to accomplish the goal of eradicating Falun Gong.
Gao’s numerous writings, informed by his Christian faith, include a book, A China More Just, and reveal a profound disillusionment with the Communist Party. He lamented the loss of morality he witnessed, and said he had lost hope for any reform of the CCP.
In Speaking from My Heart, Gao wrote: “In the old days when tradition was maintained, people cherished and protected virtues and kindness. However, in today’s China, the upholding of moral values and goodness has been uprooted. The Chinese communist regime has become synonymous for immorality and evil.”
Gao deplored criticism he received from fellow lawyers, Chinese dissidents and activists about his firm stand on Falun Gong. He mentioned this again in his most recent writing.
Lee said some dissidents oppose or ignore Falun Gong because they think they can still compromise with the communist regime; they want to reform it or make it better.
“History shows us that it is not possible,” said Lee.
Falun Gong practitioners numbering in the tens of millions according the Chinese government’s own investigations prior to 1999, have been targeted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with a campaign of persecution in which no measure was to be considered too excessive to accomplish the goal of eradicating Falun Gong.
Gao’s numerous writings, informed by his Christian faith, include a book, A China More Just, and reveal a profound disillusionment with the Communist Party. He lamented the loss of morality he witnessed, and said he had lost hope for any reform of the CCP.
In Speaking from My Heart, Gao wrote: “In the old days when tradition was maintained, people cherished and protected virtues and kindness. However, in today’s China, the upholding of moral values and goodness has been uprooted. The Chinese communist regime has become synonymous for immorality and evil.”
Standing with Falun Gong, Disintegrating the CCP
Gao deplored criticism he received from fellow lawyers, Chinese dissidents and activists about his firm stand on Falun Gong. He mentioned this again in his most recent writing.
Lee said some dissidents oppose or ignore Falun Gong because they think they can still compromise with the communist regime; they want to reform it or make it better.
“History shows us that it is not possible,” said Lee.
“Instead they will use whatever resources and power they have to suppress the people inside their countries,” he added.
According to Lee, the firm faith that Falun Gong practitioners have shown, the same faith that moved Gao to take a stand, is exactly what the Communist Party fears most.
“They don’t want to compromise their principles, so they put Falun Gong practitioners as the biggest enemy of them,” said Lee.
Sustained efforts to explain that they were not against the Party, and only wanted the freedom to practice their beliefs, failed. Instead the persecution intensified and Falun Gong practitioners realized there was no hope for freedom under the CCP.
They began in 2004 to spread news about a series of editorials printed in The Epoch Times, “The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” which contain an uncensored history of the Party’s deeds and call for Chinese people to reject the CCP.
Since then, close to 90 million statements of Chinese withdrawing from the Communist Party, the Communist Youth League, and/or the Communist Young Pioneers have been received and recorded by the Chinese Epoch Times.
Evidence of this movement could be seen amid the throng of protesters. Tibetans chanted “CCP dead Party,” and “Hu Jintao, failed leader,” and some of the democracy groups displayed banners reading “Return the Universal Values” and “Communist Dictatorship Must Perish.”
“Although you can see that China has shown a lot of change in terms of the economy, when it comes down to the bottom of things they never care about Chinese people’s well-being. We realize that it is not possible to change the communist regime,” said Lee.
According to Lee, the firm faith that Falun Gong practitioners have shown, the same faith that moved Gao to take a stand, is exactly what the Communist Party fears most.
“They don’t want to compromise their principles, so they put Falun Gong practitioners as the biggest enemy of them,” said Lee.
Sustained efforts to explain that they were not against the Party, and only wanted the freedom to practice their beliefs, failed. Instead the persecution intensified and Falun Gong practitioners realized there was no hope for freedom under the CCP.
They began in 2004 to spread news about a series of editorials printed in The Epoch Times, “The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” which contain an uncensored history of the Party’s deeds and call for Chinese people to reject the CCP.
Since then, close to 90 million statements of Chinese withdrawing from the Communist Party, the Communist Youth League, and/or the Communist Young Pioneers have been received and recorded by the Chinese Epoch Times.
Evidence of this movement could be seen amid the throng of protesters. Tibetans chanted “CCP dead Party,” and “Hu Jintao, failed leader,” and some of the democracy groups displayed banners reading “Return the Universal Values” and “Communist Dictatorship Must Perish.”
“Although you can see that China has shown a lot of change in terms of the economy, when it comes down to the bottom of things they never care about Chinese people’s well-being. We realize that it is not possible to change the communist regime,” said Lee.
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