As human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng turned 61 on 20 April, we express our deep concern over his continued disappearance since 2017 after suffering nearly two decades of persecution due to his unwavering commitment to justice and human rights in China.
Gao Zhisheng is internationally recognized for his courageous legal work defending religious minorities, victims of forced evictions, advocates of free expression, and those confronting corruption. In 2008, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize—yet instead of being recognized and protected, he has persistently faced retaliation for his defence of human rights.
Over the past 20 years, Gao Zhisheng has endured repeated arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture. His legal license was revoked, his family placed under intense surveillance, and their basic rights severely restricted. In 2006, he was sentenced to three years in prison—suspended for five years—on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” after initiating a hunger strike to protest the persecution of human rights activists. After enduring multiple periods of incommunicado detention and torture, which he later spoke about publicly— Gao Zhisheng was briefly released in 2014. Following his release, he was placed under strict house arrest, while his family had fled to the United States in 2009. In August 2017, Gao was forcibly disappeared once again. His whereabouts and condition remain unknown to date.
In response to a communication sent by UN Special Rapporteurs in May 2020, Chinese authorities claimed that no coercive measures have been taken against him since his release in 2014. Yet no progress has been made to identify his whereabouts and ensure his physical and psychological integrity. This lack of transparency raises serious questions about his well–being and whether he remains in state custody.
We recall that, as outlined in Principle 16 of the UN Basic Principles Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, “Governments shall ensure that lawyers (a) are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; (b) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad; and (c) shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics”.
We once again urge the Chinese authorities to make every effort to clarify the whereabouts of Gao Zhisheng, ensure his physical and psychological integrity, and secure his release in line with international human rights standards.
Lawyers for Lawyers and will continue to monitor Gao Zhisheng’s case closely, as well as the broader situation of lawyers in China.
