Family Of Chinese Activist Lawyer Escapes To U.S.

Family members of Chinese dissident, Gao Zhisheng, have successfully fled to the US. Gao Zhisheng has not been seen since February 4th and is feared to have been kidnapped by Chinese authorities and is being tortured or worse.

Gao Zhisheng is a self-taught lawyer who was tortured by Chinese secret police after taking on human rights cases including the defense of other dissidents, religious minorities, and underground Christians. He was also a candidate for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize.

Here is the story of his family's escape:

The wife and two children of one of China's most prominent dissidents have sought asylum in the United States. They said police pressure had made their life unbearable, leading to a dramatic escape through Southeast Asia.

In early January, Geng He wrote a note to her husband, Gao Zhisheng, a crusading lawyer who is one of China's best known dissidents. It said, "I've taken the children so they can get schooling." And then she fled, taking their 15-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son with her...

Now there are fears for Gao's safety. Sources say he was interrogated three times, one of them for two nights and a day, after his family fled. He hasn't been seen since Feb. 4, when he was bundled away by police.

In 2007, he was detained by the authorities for 13 days. He later made public detailed allegations of torture during that time.

"Every time I was tortured, I was repeatedly threatened that, if I spelled out later what had happened to me, I would be tortured again. But I was told, 'This time it will happen in front of your wife and children,' " Gao said at the time. "The tall, strong man repeated over and over during the days I was tortured, 'Your death is sure if you share this with the outside world.' "

NYU's Cohen says pressure should now be placed on the Chinese authorities to produce Gao immediately.

"In light of the terrible, obscene tortures to which he was previously subjected, I think there's a reasonable question as to whether he's alive, and I think the Chinese authorities ought to be called upon to produce him," he says.

"Thirty-seven days of silence — it's a total violation of their legal system, and I think their leaders ought to be called to account for it."

Read more news about Gao Zhisheng here.

Please pass this on to help publicize this abuse of basic human rights by Chinese officials and to draw prayer and support for Gao Zhisheng and his family.