9990 Voices Are Calling Out the Same Name

In early 2006, lawyer Gao Zhisheng was at his home in Shaanxi Province. (Photo provided by Ye Shuang)

[People News] A search for 'Gao Zhisheng' on Dajiyuan returns 333 web pages, totalling 9990 related articles. All these articles seem to be calling out the same name: 'Gao Zhisheng, where are you?'

Lawyer Gao's wife, Geng He, is calling out—

On May 9, 2020, it marked 1000 days since lawyer Gao went missing. Ms Geng shared an image of 'Free Gao Zhisheng' on Twitter, stating: '1000 days and nights, 1000 torments, Gao Zhisheng has vanished from the world for 1000 days. Heaven and earth, nowhere to search, knocking on the heavens, left speechless and choked with emotion. Tears have nearly dried up, and my heart feels like charred wood. Gao Zhisheng, where exactly are you?'

'I do not expect you to restore his freedom, I only hope you can tell me: is he still alive?' This is the most basic and humble request from a wife.

The China Democracy and Human Rights Alliance is calling out—

'Lawyer Gao Zhisheng, where are you? We are searching for you; your wife and children miss you dearly. You have been missing for nearly 8 years, and we all miss you very much. Release Gao Zhisheng!'

Zhou Feng from the Icelandic Party of the United Headquarters of the China Democratic Party is also calling out—

Today should have been a day for Gao Zhisheng to reunite with his family, but instead, he spent his 61st birthday in darkness. As the Icelandic branch of the United Front for Democracy in China, we cannot accept such injustice! We stand here to strongly protest against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government: immediately release Gao Zhisheng! Disclose his whereabouts! Let him reunite with his family!

Mr Wu Yingnian, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, is calling out—

"Let us work together to raise our voices for lawyer Gao Zhisheng and for the cause of human rights in China. We believe that as long as we unite and persevere, one day, lawyer Gao Zhisheng will regain his freedom and reunite with his beloved family."

Le Zailin, the nephew of the renowned dissident Du Daobin and a pro-democracy and human rights activist currently in exile in the United States, is also calling out—

"As long as the CCP exists, everyone will live permanently under their shadow, always without freedom and human rights." He encouraged everyone present to shout together: "I am Gao Zhisheng!"

Readers of Dajiyuan are calling out—

"We hope that the esteemed lawyer Gao Zhisheng is safe and healthy! May he soon achieve true freedom and reunite with his family. Lawyer Gao Zhisheng is innocent; he is a hero of the Chinese nation! History will remember him forever! Please treat lawyer Gao with kindness! He deserves the goodwill of everyone."

Lawyer Gao has captured the hearts of people around the world, and his heartfelt calls resonate as a shared concern for the just and kind individuals in our global community.

However, just as the call of 'Where are you, Gao Zhisheng?' echoes worldwide, Professor Yuan Hongbing, a legal scholar in Australia known for his exclusive insider insights, has suddenly revealed shocking news:

Professor Yuan cited reports from conscientious individuals within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and rumours circulating in Beijing's political circles, indicating that human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been secretly executed. Following the 19th National Congress of the CCP, a special armed force personally organised by Xi Jinping set up a secret detention and execution site near Xiyuan in Beijing. This site is reportedly involved in a major political disloyalty case concerning Miao Hua and He Weidong, where a group of mid-level officers, including lieutenant colonels, colonels, and senior colonels, who have shown overtly treasonous political tendencies against Xi Jinping, have allegedly been executed. Furthermore, whispers in Beijing's political circles suggest that human rights lawyer Mr Gao Zhisheng has already been secretly executed under Xi Jinping's direct orders.

This news is a shocking blow to all those who have long been concerned about the fate of lawyer Gao Zhisheng! The extent of the CCP's evil is beyond anyone's imagination. While this information cannot be verified, the author believes that the possibility of being 'secretly executed under Xi Jinping's direct orders' is quite high. This may help explain why the CCP remains unresponsive to the strong calls from various sectors.

As one netizen remarked: 'The CCP even wants to eliminate retired Premier Li Keqiang! It is likely that Gao Zhisheng has also been executed or tortured to death!'

So, one might wonder: With a population of 1.4 billion and hundreds of thousands of professional lawyers, why does the CCP insist on singling him out from the masses, repeatedly making him disappear, and ultimately seeking to eliminate him? In Gao's professional legal career, the answer is not hard to find—

On December 26, 2004, Lawyer Gao (Gāo lǜshī) went to Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, to represent Falun Gong practitioner Huang Wei (Huáng Wěi). Following this, he took on several cases involving Falun Gong practitioners, which allowed him to gain a profound understanding of the historical injustices faced by Falun Gong and to express significant sympathy for the practitioners.

From that point onward, Lawyer Gao found it impossible to remain passive. It was not merely a sense of professional obligation that drove him, but rather an intrinsic motivation. On October 18, November 22, and December 12, 2005, he penned three open letters to the highest leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), accurately detailing the grievances of Falun Gong and exposing the illegal and brutal nature of the torture and persecution. The letters were filled with righteous indignation, their contents mutually reinforcing, and their central message was unmistakable: the persecution of Falun Gong must stop immediately!

In one of his letters, he wrote: "In this letter, I will not shy away from any real issues I have witnessed, even if the day this letter is made public coincides with my imprisonment."

He continued: "We have observed that the power represented by '610' continues to engage with our people through the killing of both body and spirit, employing shackles, chains, electric shocks, tiger chairs, and other forms of torture. This power, which has become entirely mafia-like, continues to torment our mothers, our sisters, our children, and our entire nation."

"In the annals of human history, no country’s people have endured such a large-scale, prolonged, and brutal disaster for their spiritual beliefs during a time of peace under a government." 
…

Thus, we understand that Lawyer Gao (Gao Lushi) inadvertently touched the most sensitive and secretive political pressure point of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — the enduring injustice surrounding Falun Gong. This is why they have repeatedly reached out with their sinister hands against him.

Driven by a fierce desire for revenge and deep fear of Lawyer Gao, the CCP's demons brandished their serrated fangs and launched a relentless series of attacks on him:

"From August 15 to December 22, 2006, I was detained for a total of 129 days. During this period, I was handcuffed for 600 hours; I was restrained in a specially designed iron chair for over 590 hours; I was subjected to intense lighting from both sides for over 590 hours. Throughout those 129 days, I was forced to sit cross-legged on the floor to reflect on my supposed sins for about 800 hours; I was compelled to scrub the floor 385 times."

On November 28, 2007, Lawyer Gao was surrounded at home by Beijing police, and in his account titled "Night, Black Hood, Gangster Kidnapping (A Personal Account of Sexual Torture)," he recounted:

The police said nonchalantly, "This is China, this is the domain of the Communist Party; you are nothing. Taking your life is as easy as stepping on an ant. If you don’t understand this and continue to come out, if you dare to write those ridiculous articles again, the government will have to take a stance. You should have understood this by now, right?"

"How can you treat a taxpayer so brutally with gangster tactics? How will you face over a billion citizens in the future?"

"You are merely a punching bag; you know better than anyone that in China, a taxpayer is worth nothing. Stop incessantly talking about taxpayers."

At that moment, another voice entered the room. "Stop fucking around with him, give him the real deal." I recognised the speaker as the leader named Wang. "Gao Zhisheng, these gentlemen have prepared 'twelve dishes' for you. Last night, you were only served three. I won’t waste words; you will have to eat shit and drink urine, and we will poke your 'light' with a stick (which I later learned referred to your genitals). Didn’t you say the Communist Party uses torture? This time, you will witness it all firsthand. Regarding the torture and torment of Falun Gong, that’s true; not a word of it is false. The twelve methods we have for you were practiced from Falun Gong. To be honest, I’m not afraid of you writing again; your chances of leaving alive are nonexistent! We’ll kill you, and you won’t even be able to find your body." (Author's note: 'you' is a harsh term in Beijing dialect; the full term is 'yating de', referring to children born out of wedlock, meaning illegitimate children.)

Lawyer Gao once recalled: "Four electric batons began to shock me, and I felt my internal organs and muscles trying to evade the shocks beneath my skin. I rolled on the ground in agony, and when the leader Wang started shocking my genitals, I begged him for mercy. My pleas were met with loud laughter and even more frenzied torment..."

"...and there’s more... more... the bamboo is exhausted, blood and tears, I cannot bear to finish speaking! The devil only toys with people and revels in 'endless joy' from it (Mao Zedong's words)."

It’s no surprise that some netizens have commented: "With his personal strength, he single-handedly confronts the evil cult of the Chinese Communist Party, dedicating everything to highlight the elements of righteousness in the world, and deeply trapped in hell—what a remarkable spirit and noble sentiment this is!!!"

Many people often wonder: Where does Lawyer Gao (Gao Zhisheng) find such immense courage to face the bloody tyranny of the CCP with a calm smile, repeatedly going missing without yielding? Gradually, the answer becomes clear—Confucius said: "The benevolent are not worried, the brave are not afraid."

The CCP harbours both intense hatred and deep fear towards him. To ensure it can sleep peacefully without nightmares, the CCP has no choice but to secretly arrest him and confine him. In the presence of Lawyer Gao, the CCP appears not only foolish but also weak.

Gao Zhisheng once stated: "In China, the evil forces are most afraid of the truth."

Gao Zhisheng's final piece of advice to the Chinese people was: "Do not be afraid."

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2025, Chen Guangcheng, a researcher at the Catholic University of America who has closely followed the Gao Zhisheng case and is a former prominent blind lawyer in China, told Dajiyuan that Gao Zhisheng instils profound fear in the CCP. This fear arises from Gao Zhisheng's understanding of the Communist Party's vulnerabilities and his capability to challenge them.

"First, the Communist Party knows who truly recognises the flaws of the Chinese system and who sincerely wishes to change this cannibalistic evil system (the CCP)."

"Second, who genuinely possesses the ability and the vision to advance such changes (in China). He (Gao Zhisheng) has insights, understands the evil of the Communist Party, recognises the flaws of this system, and knows where the Communist Party's vulnerabilities lie."

The spectacular eruption of lava has reached great heights; the furnace of tyranny has forged the 'Chinese conscience' and 'Chinese backbone' of lawyer Gao Zhisheng, earning him global respect and recognition. This includes, but is not limited to:

In 2005, the Outstanding Democratic Person Award from the China Democracy Education Foundation.

In 2006, the Human Rights Defender Award from the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Foundation;

In 2006, the Special Human Rights Hero Award from the China Free Culture Movement.

In 2007, the Bruno Kreisky Human Rights Award from Austria;

In 2007, the Courageous Advocate Award from the American Association of Trial Lawyers.

In 2010, the International Human Rights Lawyer Award from the American Bar Association;

In 2011, the Freedom of Speech Award from the International Censorship Organisation.

In 2012, the Defender of Freedom of Speech Award from the New York Visual Artists Association.

In 2012, the Top Ten Honorary Lawyer Award from the China Rights Lawyers Association.

In 2017, the Promoting Progress in China Award from the Australia Qi Cultural Foundation.

In 2018, the Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award from the International First Step Forum.

In 2020, the Lin Zhao Freedom Award from the China Aid Association.

In Praise of Lawyer Gao Zhisheng

The righteous spirit stretches across the sky like a rainbow,
With a chivalrous heart and benevolent spirit, he journeys through the land.
Gao Zhisheng is truly capable of great responsibilities,
A single truth can rally a million troops.
The backbone of the nation stands strong like a diamond,
The conscience of China embodies compassion like a bodhisattva.
May heaven bless and protect his return home,
Once again, donning golden armour to fight against the red demon.

This is a short poem penned by the author on Lawyer Gao's 61st birthday. Whether the rumours of his 'death' are true or false, the name 'Gao Zhisheng' has become a formidable presence for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), one that instils fear akin to that of Mount Tai.

Therefore, let us continue the call of 'Gao Zhisheng, where are you?' The ultimate goal of this relay is the downfall of the CCP.

(First published by the People News) △