Chinese human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng was recently arrested. What many people have feared since February has finally happened. It has been eight days since Gao Zhisheng was arrested. It has been seven days since his wife, Geng He, and his daughter were put under house arrest. No one has heard from them since.
During the past nine months, Gao has been oppressed and besieged by special agents day and night. As a journalist who was in touch with him during these many months, I saw him change and progress in the process.
I can say that this period of misfortune has created and forged a warrior who has the courage to comprehensively criticize the communist system. Attorney Gao has become the representative for human rights, law and order, freedom, justice, and humanity in China.
Gao started by criticizing the corruption of local authorities, then later appealing to the central authority, and finally pointing to China's political system. In the beginning, he criticized with some reservation; then he became more direct, and in recent months, his pen became a sword. The rapid shift from hope to despair in the Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao regime is quite apparent.
Many people are asking, "Why has the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) arrested attorney Gao at this time? How can we help him?"
I too am pondering this question and also: "What will the CCP prevent attorney Gao from doing next?" and "What is attorney Gao's greatest concern?"
Gao's Greatest Concern
Recently, Gao was beaten, attacked, and rejected by the regime, which caused his relatives great social and political pressure and misunderstanding.
During a conversation with him on August 5, Gao commented to me: "Now, when determining a person's humanity, I judge a person by his or her attitude toward the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. On this issue, some people cannot even be regarded as human beings! They seem like good people in what they say, but lack heart!"
Gao gave an emotional sigh and said, "What we are criticizing is a society that doesn't treasure human life. If this human life is your relative, then you feel heart-stricken. But what's most horrible about this society is its indifference towards other human lives outside [one's] small circle of relatives."
"When a human life is related to us, we know how profound the grief is. The void in this society is the ability to put oneself in others' shoes, i.e., the ability to feel others' pain."
Gao once asked his older sister: "I am concerned about the many people that have died at a very young age. They did not die of disease but of the catastrophe created by the distorted values and the corrupt powers in China. My dear sister, what's your position on this issue now?"
It's Not About Me
In acknowledging a Concurrent Resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this past April urging the Chinese communist regime to stop harassing Gao and to reinstate his licenses to practice law, Gao said: "If the U.S. government is willing to implement this resolution, they should not just limit their action to myself because my tribulation originated from my concern for another group of people—Falun Gong practitioners. My concern for them has caused my personal tribulation."
"Today, China's imminent problem is not the problem of my fate. I have elaborated on this in the past. The persecution of Falun Gong will not simply end the persecution of people who insist on their freedom of belief. Sooner or later, it will expand to the entire Chinese population! Therefore, in my article, I proposed: "The campaign against human rights violations should start after the end of the persecution of Falun Gong."
In his phone conversation with European Union Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott, Gao humbly expressed his respect for McMillan-Scott. As Gao explained, "His concern is about the larger group of people being persecuted—not just limited to my own fate—this is the root cause of the problem!"
What Would Gao Have Done?
Gao Zhisheng has continued to pay attention to other socially disadvantaged groups even after stepping into the "forbidden zone"—the persecution of Falun Gong.
He has actively responded to every event related to the Falun Gong group. This included the anniversary of Falun Gong's peaceful appeal on April 25, 1999; the anniversary of the opposition to the persecution, which began on July 20 1999; and the organ harvesting from live Falun Gong practitioners. This also extended to participating in the investigation of the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, and supporting Mrs. Wang Wenyi's appeal at the White House.
Before his arrest, Gao once asked me to help provide a list of 60- to 70-year old elders who were arrested and sentenced for possessing or distributing the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party in mainland China. He said he was going to write something about this matter.
What would Gao Zhisheng have done when China Eastern Airlines pilot Captain Yuan Sheng, sought asylum in the United States after he had been turned in to authorities for distributing the Nine Commentaries and encouraging people to quit the Communist Party at the Shanghai airport?
I can imagine that Gao would have publicly announced support for Yuan Sheng. He would also have publicly discussed the Nine Commentaries as well as the effects of the Party withdrawal movement. Gao would also have cried out in support of those elders who have been arrested and sentenced simply for having a Nine Commentaries DVD or book at home.
In my past interviews with Gao, he clearly made this point: "Currently, if you don't have the courage to publicly withdraw, you can still abandon the evil force of the Chinese Communist Party in your heart. This is especially true for Party members—please hurry up and quit this evil, tyrannical regime. You are capable of doing this now, and you can use an alias! If you do not withdraw, everything this evil power does, including the persecution of me, Gao Zhisheng, will have your name on it!"
The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party
Readers may note that Gao's past articles did not discuss the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party or the movement to withdraw from the party. What was attorney Gao waiting for? Was he afraid? No! Then, why was this?
Gao Zhisheng was waiting for an opportunity, a perfect opportunity—just like his personal public withdrawal announcement, which was made on the second day after the completion of his third open letter to the leaders of the communist regime. This was done to appeal for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong in China. In his letter, he announced his withdrawal to the whole world ( http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-12-14/35773.html ):
"...Eventually these more than a dozen days ended! And I had completely lost my hope for the Chinese Communist Party. The CCP has employed the most barbarous, most immoral and illegal means to torture our mothers, our wives, our children, and our brothers and sisters. It has made this kind of torture part of a Party member's job and raised the political standing of torture. It continuously persecutes and torments the conscience, character, and kindness of us, the people!
"From now on, Gao Zhisheng, a Party 'member' who hasn't paid his membership dues for a long time, and has been absent from 'Party activities' for many years, declares that he quits this cruel, untrustworthy, inhumane, and evil party.
"This is the proudest day of my life."
Gao Zhisheng made a perfect and conscientious choice!
The incident of Captain Yuan's defection has brought about another opportunity for the whole world to see this [conscientious choice] once again. Captain Yuan has brought all people face to face with the Nine Commentaries and the movement to withdraw from the Communist Party.
Regardless of how long the western world waits on the sidelines, regardless of how many people criticize or ridicule Gao Zhisheng, he is a hero continually increasing his wisdom, and he can have a great impact at the right moment—echoing Captain Yuan's action, drawing people's attention to the Nine Commentaries, to the Party withdrawal movement, and to the CCP's continued suppression of Falun Gong. However, this is not what the CCP wants to see.
What would Gao do next? What does attorney Gao wish us to do? I think his example and actions are what everyone who has been concerned about him would like to know and to understand.
As a reporter, I will continue publishing the recordings of my conversations with attorney Gao to convey his aspirations to the Chinese people and the world.
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