The human rights group Freedom Now revealed in a statement on Monday that the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had asked for Gao’s immediate release. The U.N. Working Group had said the Chinese communist regime is violating international law by detaining him and is failing to meet “even the minimum international standards for due process.”
A letter by the chair of the U.N. Working Group demanding Gao’s immediate release had been forwarded to the Chinese regime on July 6, 2010.
Upon the failure of the Chinese regime to respond to the letter, the U.N. Working Group issued an Opinion on Gao’s case on November 19, 2010.
The U.N. Working Group Opinion stated: “In light of the allegations made, the Working Group would have welcomed the cooperation of the government [of China]. In the absence of any information from the government, the Working Group believes that it is in a position to render an opinion on the facts and circumstances of the cases, especially since the facts and allegations contained in the communication have not been challenged by the government.”
The Opinion goes on to say: “The detention of Mr. Gao is arbitrary because the government has not invoked any legal basis justifying his deprivation of liberty. Mr. Gao has not been formally charged with any offense under criminal law or any other Chinese law. Further, his current detention may be related to actions for which he was previously detained; in particular, his advocacy on behalf of persecuted religious groups.”
At a news conference in Beijing on March 29, spokeswoman Jian Yu said she did not know specifics about Mr. Gao’s case and told the U.N. not to interfere. Jian said that U.N. human rights mechanisms should “maintain an objective and impartial attitude and to respect China’s judicial sovereignty.”
Gao’s wife, Geng He, and their two children fled China in February 2009 and obtained asylum in the United States.
Ms. Geng commented on the efforts of the U.N. Working Group to free her husband. “It has been about one year since my husband Gao Zhisheng disappeared again. We are very glad to hear about the UN report. China has claimed that they are also governed by law, but they always disappear and torture lawyers like my husband who want to protect the law and fight for justice and human rights. I hope the international community can help me to get my husband home!
Gao was put under house arrest and detention for a number of years after publishing open letters that criticized the Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Gong. Shortly after he published an open letter to the U.S. Congress in September 2007, which criticized the Chinese regime on multiple issues and called for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong and for a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Gao was abducted. He has been in and out of detention, but mostly in, ever since.
Gao has not been heard from since April 2010. In February 2009, Gao released an article describing 50 days of torture he endured in 2007. On January 10, 2011, the Associated Press published an account of torture Gao gave in an interview he was allowed in April 2010.
Last week, Gao was awarded the Bindmans Law and Campaigning Prize in the United Kingdom. The prize recognizes “lawyers or campaigners who have fought repression or have struggled to challenge political climates and perceptions,” according to the Bindmans website. His wife accepted the award on his behalf.
