Gao Zhisheng

Gao Zhisheng (Chinese高 智 晟, Pinyin Gao Zhisheng, born April 20, 1964 in the province of Shaanxi, People's Republic of China) is a Chinese lawyer who prevented by his involvement in actions against human rights violations in his work as a lawyer, taken into custody and law enforcement officers was physically abused. Gao supported, among others, members of religious minorities, such as Falun Gong or Christians in the underground. Even for the blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng he sat on. In 2006 he published an autobiography, which was published in English translation under the title A China More Just, 2007. The autobiography was published in 2008 in German under the title of China's hope. My life and struggle as a lawyer in the largest communist state. Gao is a practicing Christian and was regarded in 2008 as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. December 16, 2011 reported the Chinese news agency Xinhua that Gao was sentenced to three years in prison because he allegedly violated probation. The human rights organization Amnesty International campaigns for the release of the activists.

Biography

Gao was born in Shaanxi, where he grew up with six siblings in poverty in a cave dwelling. Gao briefly worked in a coal mine and subsequently went into the People's Liberation Army. He was stationed in Kashgar in Xinjiang Province. In the army, Gao joined the Communist Party of China. After his release, he began a self-study law and passed the examination of the Bar Association in 1995. Gao won a third of its processes. He achieved fame after he won a lawsuit for damages by a medical error in treatment of a child in dispute of $ 100,000 in 1999. During his work in Xinjiang, he won a lawsuit for an entrepreneur whose company was claimed by local authorities after he had taken over the operation at a privatization and rebuilt. After the process Gao was forced by harassment by local authorities, who made his profession impossible to leave Xinjiang. In 2000, he moved to Beijing, where he and other lawyers Shengzhi the Law Office.

2001 Gao was elected by the Ministry of Justice as one of the ten best Chinese lawyers. The choice was based on its professionalism and integrity and his willingness to assist destitute persons without offsetting costs in lawsuits against governmental and administrative bodies.

In December 2005, Gao resigned from the Communist Party. His reasoning was: " This [ Chinese Communist ] Party has the most primitive, immoral and illegalsten means used to torture our mothers, torture our wives, torture our children and torture our brothers and sisters ... Today I step, Gao Zhisheng formally out of this inhumane, unjust and evil party. This is the proudest day of my life. "

2007 Gao Zhisheng was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Prize for services to human rights. The price could not be handed to him.

Major legal cases in Shengzhi

• A process to real property against members of the administration of the village Tiashi
• A class action lawsuit against their local authorities for coercion in the implementation of family planning policies.
• A process in the case of six factory workers who have been imprisoned by their employers because of protests against exploitation.
• Appeal against a seven year sentence, which was imposed on Zheng Yichun, a journalist and former professor, due to its publication on the Internet.
• Legal support of Falun Gong members, including Huang Wei, who was sentenced to three years of reeducation through labor.
• Legal support of the domestic church priest Zhuohua Cai, who was sentenced to three years in prison for distributing Bibles.

Assaults

Gao was beaten by 30 masked men on 15 August 2006 after a series of intimidation, assault and attempted murder in Shandong Province and tied up. The attackers tied him up, combined mouth and eyes and dressed him a hood over. After several hours of driving he was transferred to Beijing and transferred to the police who tortured him in many ways. This included the fixing of the arms and legs for 590 hours on a " bondage board ".

In the subsequent court proceedings, Gao was sentenced in December 2006 to three years' imprisonment, which was suspended for a period of five years on probation. To him, the attempt to overthrow the state authority was charged.

On 4 February 2009 are said to have been arrested in his hometown in Shaanxi province early in the morning more than 10 officials Gao Zhisheng. Around September 2009, he was released; However, he sent until the end of March 2010, a sign of life from. In April 2010, were again disappear without a trace, Chinese security forces Gao Zhisheng. The attack on him in Shaanxi was preceded by the escape of his wife Geng He and his then 15 - year-old daughter and his five year old son to Thailand. Gao's family was granted political asylum in the United States.

A few days before the expiration of his period of probation Gao Zhisheng was detained again for allegedly violating probation on 16 December 2011. Beginning of January 2012 reported the American human rights organization ChinaAid, he is in the remote prison Shaya in the district of Aksu, more than 1,000 kilometers west of the regional capital Urumqi.