Today Is the 62nd Birthday of Renowned Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng; We Strongly Demand That the Chinese Communist Authorities Immediately Restore Gao Zhisheng’s Freedom and Strongly Call on the Governments of All Democratic Countries and the International Community to Act for Mr. Gao Zhisheng’s Freedom

（(Rights Defense Network Information Center report)）On April 20, 2025, Xing，this website learned：April 20, 2026, is the 62nd birthday of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng。Gao Zhisheng has spoken out for disadvantaged groups for many years，and has consequently been persecuted and subjected to torture and abuse。He was once sentenced to imprisonment for the crime of inciting subversion of state power，and was released in 2014。He was forcibly disappeared again in August 2017。Nearly nine years after being forcibly disappeared by the Chinese Communist authorities in August 2017, renowned human rights lawyer Mr. Gao Zhisheng remains missing，with no information about whether he is alive or dead。

In recent years，human rights defenders around the world have also repeatedly jointly launched global actions to search for forcibly disappeared lawyer Gao Zhisheng。Today, Rights Defense Network again strongly calls on the governments of all democratic countries and the international community to act for Mr. Gao Zhisheng’s freedom。

Lawyer Gao Zhisheng is a renowned human rights lawyer in mainland China，famous for his uprightness and unyielding integrity，and for refusing to submit despite enduring brutal torture。Lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been forcibly disappeared for nearly eight years，and the Chinese Communist authorities have still provided no legal procedures or explanation whatsoever，causing great concern in China and abroad about his circumstances and safety。We ask human rights advocates around the world to continue acting together for lawyer Gao Zhisheng’s freedom！

Biography of Gao Zhisheng：Born on April 20, 1964，he is from Jia County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province，a renowned rights defense lawyer who was once selected by China’s Ministry of Justice as one of the “Top Ten Lawyers in China”，and has been hailed as the “Conscience of China”，an outspoken dissident，and a Chinese prisoner of conscience.

Beginning in 1996, he started defending the rights of disadvantaged groups in court，and handled many civil rights defense cases；starting at the end of 2004，he repeatedly wrote to senior Chinese Communist authorities，demanding changes to the illegal methods used to deal with groups including Falun Gong，and participated in investigations into allegations that authorities were harvesting the organs of Falun Gong practitioners while they were alive；in November 2005，he and his wife publicly announced their withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party；because he bravely defended cases deemed sensitive by the authorities (Note：including people with Falun Gong beliefs、Christians、and impoverished farmers and private entrepreneurs who had disputes with officials)，he was repeatedly subjected to severe harassment and retaliation by the Chinese Communist authorities using mafia-style methods；

In August 2006，his practicing license was revoked by the authorities，and he was secretly abducted and subjected to nearly four months of torture；on December 22, 2006，the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court sentenced him to three years in prison, suspended for five years, for “inciting subversion of state power”；on February 4, 2009，he suddenly lost contact with the outside world and was not released and returned to Beijing until April 2010，after which he again lost contact with the outside world because he had given an interview to the Associated Press，and it was not until December 16, 2011, that his family learned from a Xinhua News Agency report that he had been taken into custody and arrested by a Beijing court to continue serving a sentence of two years and seven months；

On August 7, 2014，he was released after completing his sentence，but after his release he remained under house arrest at his hometown in Yulin, northern Shaanxi。Because he had endured prolonged torture and inhumane treatment in solitary confinement while in prison，his teeth had fallen out and his health was poor。He asked to receive dental treatment and medical care，but was continually refused。In June 2016，because he had secretly written the book “2017, Rise Up, China,” which was formally printed and sold in Taiwan，and because the book mainly covered three subjects—the Chinese Communist authorities’ long-term abduction, imprisonment, and torture of him，his view from a religious perspective that the Chinese Communist Party would perish in 2017，and his outlook for China’s constitutional democratization after 2017—the Chinese Communist authorities became extremely fearful and angry and tightened their surveillance of him further。

On August 13, 2017，with the help of Shanxi rights defenders Li Fawang、Shao Zhongguo and others, Gao Zhisheng fled his hometown in Shaanxi for Shanxi to hide and prepare to see a dentist，but on August 19 he was found and taken away by police searching for him。In addition，there has been no news of Gao Zhisheng since then，and the authorities in Beijing、Shaanxi and Shanxi have all denied detaining Gao Zhisheng。

Nearly nine years since lawyer Gao Zhisheng was forcibly disappeared by the Chinese Communist authorities in August 2017，the Chinese Communist authorities have neither tried nor sentenced Gao Zhisheng，have provided no answer or explanation whatsoever to his relatives’ inquiries，and have completely ignored the international community’s concern and protests。The Chinese Communist authorities’ violations of lawyer Gao Zhisheng’s human rights have reached the point of being arbitrary and deranged。The location where Gao Zhisheng is currently being held in secret is unknown，and it is not known whether he is alive or dead。

This website will continue to follow lawyer Gao Zhisheng’s situation＊