Every Saturday, attorney Gao Zhisheng participates in the relay hunger strike to support human rights. On February 25, Saturday, attorney Gao continued his fasting in his office the whole day while the Chinese communist regime continued to block his telephone and Internet connection. The authorities also kidnapped the 13 public figures who attempted to meet with attorney Gao. Despite the severe communication blockade, over the last two days period, peace activists from 18 provinces and cities in mainland China and Taiwan managed to contact Gao Zhisheng to jointly participate in the Saturday hunger strike relay.
Gao Zhisheng Says The CCP’s Blockade is Even More Unprecedented
In addition to the continuous strict surveillance of hundreds of secret policemen, Gao Zhisheng said, “None of the phone calls to me could get through today (February 25), and overseas people could not reach my cellphone the entire day either. My fax machine was also unable to connect to the outside world most of the day. I ended up buying several phone cards, but even they were cut off in the afternoon. The persecution aimed at me and my family has been escalating.”
On February 25, the secret police also detained and interrogated the 13 public figures who went to meet with Gao right outside Gao Zhisheng’s office door. The group included nationally famous human rights attorneys Xu Zhiyong, Li Subin, and Qin Bing.
After the incident, attorney Li Subin sent a short note to Gao Zhisheng saying, “Attorney Gao, I am very sorry! I came to see you but ended up running into many policemen. We'll talk perhaps another time. Justice will prevail over the evil!”
Attorney Gao said, “Many people wanted to rush in my office today, but I wouldn’t allow it. I don’t want them to be harmed because of me. A person in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province known as ‘god of war’ in his cyber name, called me and said he would take 50 some villagers to Tiananmen Square to support me. I said forget it, and I didn’t approve. He said, ‘Attorney Gao, I’m not afraid of anything. [The authorities] robbed me of all my belongings, now I have nothing left, not even fear!’”
18 Provinces and Cities Participate In The Hunger Strike Relay
Since the commencement of this hunger strike relay to support human rights on February 4, the Chinese authorities have widely kidnapped and persecuted people involved in the campaign, and have intensified the information blockade.
During this tight information blockade, which is without parallel in history, attorney Gao has still received support from around the world. He says, “Today, there are 18 provinces and cities nationwide participating in the hunger strike simultaneously to protest the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s barbaric atrocities and organized crimes, supporting the recently arrested people in China as well as declaring support for the suffering groups of appellants.”
According to their order of affiliation, the follow provinces and countries are participating in the hunger strikes: 3 people in Hebei Province, 2 people in Liaoning Province, 7 people in Henan Province, 3 people in Shanxi Province, 4 people in Inner Mongolia Province, 5 people in Shandong Province, 3 people in Guizhou Province, 4 people in Shaanxi Province, 2 people in Hubei Province, 4 people in Sichuan Province, 3 people in Xinjiang Province, 2 people in Taiwan, 2 people in Beijing City, 2 people in Shanghai City, 16 people in Heilongjiang Province, 1 person in Hunan Province, 3 people in Gansu Province, etc. Attorney Gao says that these 60 to 70 people will participate in the hunger strike every Saturday. In addition, Shaanxi Province attorney and dissent Zhang Jiankang indicated he was planning to participate in the hunger strike relay to support human rights every Monday.
“I Accept God’s Guidance”
Gao Zhisheng confirmed that one of the hunger strike initiators, Guo Feixiong, had accepted the CCP’s conditions and stopped fasting. After quitting, Guo Feixiong encountered one misfortune after another. For example, on his way home, Guo’s cellphone was stolen.
Guo Feixiong told attorney Gao that the only part of Ding Zilin’s open letter that he approves is “stop the hunger strike.” Gao Zhisheng said, “Actually, the main influence of signing Ding Zilin’s letter is to stop the hunger strike.”
“There have been many people who urged me to stop the hunger strike. Now there are even people who have personal expectations for the sake of Chinese president Hu Jintao that called me and wished I would at least stop the hunger strike during Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States. But I will persist notwithstanding.”
Despite having nearly all telephone and Internet disconnected and having lost contact with the outside world, Gao Zhisheng said he had already heard about the content of Yuan Hongbing’s article, “A Debate for Gao Zhisheng.”
Gao Zhisheng said, “I feel that Professor Yuan and I both have a clear understanding of Chinese tyranny in the recesses of our minds. At present, our understanding on a form of the recent struggle is absolutely the same. However, I am frequently restricted by various groups since they often look to you through various methods in order to seek help. Sometimes, things we say would upset them. When I was anxious, I would tell them: During several decades, why have you still not urged the CCP to be less cruel to the people? Why don’t you ever think the CCP has gone too far? Why whenever someone steps forward to say ‘No’, you suddenly become active activists? Why can you remain silent all your life when the CCP’s cruelty to the people goes beyond endurance, but as soon as there is a slight rational revolt, you break your silence as if you can’t endure it anymore? What are you getting out of such a kind of process?”
Amidst high pressure from the Chinese communist regime and numerous people persuading or blaming him, Gao Zhisheng stated that besides strong support from around the world, “Currently, I accept God’s guidance even more.”
Yet two years ago, Gao Zhisheng did not believe in God when he was rushing to the side of his dying mother in North Shaanxi. Today, attorney Gao frankly repeated that after two years of multitudinous bitter experiences, he really feels the existence of God. In addition, every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Gao Zhisheng attends prayer at the Fangzhou Church in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. On February 26, he went there as before.
Evil and Violence Cannot Exterminate Righteousness
Gao Zhisheng said, “The CCP is doomed to lose this battle of good against evil. Why? Because the weapons that determine the success of this combat are morality and righteousness. The CCP uses the most insidious schemes and vindictive mentality to fight the battle. In the battle against morality and righteousness, insidiousness is its deadly weapon. They mistakenly take this warfare to be the one in the form of soldiers and weapons.”
“Several years have passed; what still lingers by the ear is the CCP publicly shouting out, ‘Completely eliminate the Falun Gong issue within three months.’ Six years have passed, and the CCP has lost face with the Falun Gong issue, and they have completely arrived at the point of collapse.”
“With regard to this hunger strike rights protection movement, I think the CCP probably feels its regime within the nation definitely can resolve this problem within a few days, and at most a dozen of days. On the contrary, the result presents a striking contrast to what they have seen, as evil and violence cannot exterminate righteousness.”
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