China
Gao Zhisheng: UN Working Group opinion and current status
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found his detention arbitrary, in violation of articles 9, 10, 11 and 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, concerning categories II and III. It asked the Government to release him immediately and provide reparation.1
Category IICategory III
Government position
According to the opinion, the Government did not respond to the communication of 6 July 2010 or request more time.1
Background
According to the opinion, Mr. Gao, a lawyer, was taken from his family home in Shaanxi Province by security officers on 4 February 2009, with no warrant or formal charges reported by the source. He had been convicted in December 2006 of inciting subversion and given a suspended sentence.1
Status now
Whereabouts not disclosed by the authorities. RFA reported on 15 August 2017 that he had gone missing from his home near Yulin in Shaanxi Province. RFA reported in April 2021 that his wife said Yulin police had admitted holding him but did not let her speak to him. AsiaNews reported in August 2024 that he had been missing for seven years and that Beijing had released no information on where he was held.2,3,4
As of 15 August 2024.
Sources
- University of Minnesota Human Rights Library (copy of UN document), Opinion No. 26/2010 (China), A/HRC/WGAD/2010/26, full text mirror (19 November 2010)
- Radio Free Asia, Fears For Safety of Detained Chinese Rights Lawyer 'Missing' Since The Weekend (15 August 2017)
- Radio Free Asia, 'I Will Treat The Chinese Consulate as My Husband's Cemetery' (20 April 2021)
- AsiaNews, Gao Zhisheng's wife appeals seven years after he disappeared: 'tell me if he is still alive' (15 August 2024)