“As long as I’m here, I'll never permit Yang Zaixin to be harassed!” This was Attorney Gao Zhisheng’s first remark after learning that Attorney Yang Zaixin in Guangxi Province had been dismissed from his law firm for defending Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Gao is a famous human rights attorney who has been under surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party’s regime for writing open letters to the Party’s leaders in defense of Falun Gong. Not only was his law firm closed, but two of his nephews suffered unjust treatment when one was dismissed from the army and the other was not allowed to enlist. Three generations of his and his wife’s families have been investigated and threatened to various degrees. Attorney Gao believes that “there will be more conscientious lawyers who will stand up for Falun Gong in 2006 and 2007.”
Attorney Yang Zaixin, Please Follow Me
Gao Zhisheng is currently staying safe in a remote mountainous village. As the Chinese New Year approached, friends from the outside world passed on the news about Attorney Yang to Gao Zhisheng. He then said, “I was not surprised to learn the news that Attorney Yang is under surveillance, but I was a bit concerned. I was afraid that, under intense pressure, Yang might compromise with injustice or make some other painful choices. However, we now see that he is very firm with no regrets, and did he make any of the wrong choices. This is very heartening to us.”
On the day that he heard the news, Gao called Yang and told him, “Financial difficulties are just technical problems and can be solved one way or the other. Stay together with us. As long as we eat, you will too!” Gao invited Yang to Beijing after the New Year Festival, saying, “We’ve got plenty to do. Come and join me. The difficulties are just temporary.”
Gao further encouraged Yang, “The things which cannot be changed are your value to society and the unbreakable standard of morality and justice!”
Yang Zaixin’s son has not yet found a job, though he has already graduated. His daughter is still in school and his wife is also unemployed. The tactic adopted by the communist authorities serves as a warning to all law firms. None of the firms will dare to employ Yang, which means that he can’t make a living in his profession. As a result, the entire family has no income.
However, Yang remains determined not to be crushed. He does not regret that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made it impossible for him to make a living. He has prepared for the worst, and says, “If everything fails, I'll learn a foreign language and go abroad. I won’t mind doing physical labor if I must.”
