(California, United States – February 27, 2024) In a poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei writes, “Alone, a lonely stranger in a foreign land, I doubly pine for kinsfolk on a holiday.” As China’s Chunjie (Spring Festival) coincides with Western Valentine’s Day, these holidays are supposed to be joyous occasions for families and friends to reunite. However, that is not the case for the family of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. They are separated from each other, their reunion a distant dream. Gao Zhisheng has been forcibly disappeared by the Chinese government for seven years now. His crime was providing legal defense for Christians and religious minority groups. The Chinese government is still refusing to provide any information regarding his whereabouts.
On the occasion of the arrival of the Chinese New Year, Ms. Geng He, the wife of Gao Zhisheng, wrote a heartfelt letter from California, expressing her earnest hope for her husband Gao Zhisheng to return home soon and reunite with the family. Every word in the letter revealed her sincere feelings of longing, affection, care, worry, and helplessness for her husband.
She wrote in the letter:
My dear Zhisheng, how are you? I’m always worried about your health in the winter, when the northern part of China is cold, and the trees and flowers have all withered. Without family by your side, how will you endure these bitter and cold days? I long to see you, to take care of you, and to warm each other. The painful sixteen years of being separated from the one I love make every day so difficult, and every piece of news about you is so precious. Yet, the latest news of you is still from seven years ago.
Do you still remember? Thirty-four years of knowing and loving each other, believing in never leaving or forsaking each other for a lifetime. But fate has separated us in life and death, only faith holds us together, allowing us to be one complete family in our hearts. As Chunjie approaches and Valentine’s Day draws near, on such days, how I wish you could suddenly appear before me, and our family could reunite.
Through all these tribulations, we have become the strongest family in the world. The children and I will be brave and stay strong until the day you come home. You must also persevere, no matter what difficulties you face, please come back. We will always wait for you, and (we) will always love you.
Gao Zhisheng was one of the first human rights lawyers in China in the early 2000s and a key figure in China’s weiquan (rights defense) movement. This highly acclaimed lawyer handled many high-profile human rights cases, including assisting migrant workers, Christians in Xinjiang, and Falun Gong practitioners. With his morality and courage, Mr. Gao wrote open letters to Chinese national leaders, calling for attention to the plight of Falun Gong practitioners and the abuses he suffered while defending them.
In 2006, Mr. Gao was sentenced to three years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power.” After his parole, between 2007 and 2011, he was repeatedly forcibly disappeared and subjected to torture. In December 2011, state media reported that Gao was imprisoned in Xinjiang after violating the terms of his parole. He was released in 2014 but remained under house arrest.
Mr. Gao’s relatives in China have been seriously implicated, with one of them losing their lives as a result. Rights defense lawyers and activists who previously kept in touch with him have not received any communication from him since August 13, 2017. Chinese authorities claim that Mr. Gao has not faced any legal sanctions.
For seven years, Mr. Gao has remained in a state of enforced disappearance. Though Ms. Geng He is in the United States, she has continued to advocate for Mr. Gao, pleading with the Chinese government for information about him. However, the Chinese government has not provided even the most basic information to Mrs. Geng.
