Missing (Disappeared)
Note: The following article was written while Gao Zhisheng was in custody. After his release in 2014, he was abducted again in August 2017 and has been missing ever since.
Gao Zhisheng, born in 1964 in Shaanxi, China, is one of China's leading human rights defenders.
He incurred the displeasure of the Chinese government, particularly by defending the followers of the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong.
Despite threats from the Chinese authorities, Gao Zhisheng and his law firm repeatedly represented human rights cases, including those of prominent human rights activists, members of unofficial Christian house churches, and citizens' lawsuits against arbitrary government actions and land confiscation. His law firm was closed in 2005. The government justified the closure by arguing that the lawyer had failed to inform officials of a change of address. From that point on, Gao Zhisheng and his family were under constant surveillance by the authorities. He was arrested several times and, according to his own statements, was tortured while in detention.
After prolonged obstruction by security forces and the secret service, Gao Zhisheng was abducted in August 2006 without any explanation. However, his arrest was not officially announced until September 21, 2006, on suspicion of "subversion." At the end of 2006, Gao Zhisheng was sentenced to three years in prison for subversion, but his sentence was suspended for five years. At the time of his award of the Bruno Kreisky Prize in 2007, Gao Zhisheng was not allowed to comment publicly on his case or the political situation.
Gao Zhisheng's repeated disappearance in early 2009 sparked international concern. Foreign governments repeatedly pressured the Chinese government to reveal the lawyer's whereabouts. In December 2011, state media finally announced that Gao Zhisheng had been sentenced to another three years in prison for parole violations.
In January 2012, Gao Zhisheng's older brother, Gao Zhiyi, received news that his brother was being held in Shaya Prison in Xinjiang. However, Gao Zhiyi's attempt to visit his brother in prison was initially unsuccessful; instead, he was placed under house arrest by the Chinese authorities.
It wasn't until March 24, 2012, that Chinese authorities allowed a meeting—Gao Zhisheng's brother and father-in-law were granted permission for a half-hour visit to Shaya Prison. Accompanied by police officers, they were only allowed to discuss family matters during the emotional meeting, as otherwise further visits would have been prohibited.
Gao Zhiyi subsequently announced that his brother is in good health. This is the first independent confirmation in 20 months that Gao is alive.