Gao Zhisheng, a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, has been forcibly disappeared by the Chinese Communist Party for 1,000 days, and his fate is still unknown.
On the eve of an investment agreement between the European Union and China at the end of this year, the European Union has made a rare appeal to the Chinese Communist Party authorities to immediately release a number of dissident lawyers and individuals, including rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and “709 case” defense lawyer Li Yuxun.
According to several media reports, negotiations between China and the European Union on a major investment agreement are likely to result in an agreement to be signed by the end of 2020. The negotiations, which were launched in November 2013, aim to mutually protect European investments in China and Chinese investments in the EU.
AFP reported that Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on December 21 called on Beijing authorities to immediately release dissident lawyer Gao Zhisheng and several other dissidents. In an announcement released by a spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the EU urged the Chinese Communist Party to comply with international human rights law.
The EU also urged Beijing to comply with criminal procedure laws.
According to the list of names mentioned by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrelli, who urged the CCP to immediately release imprisoned human rights defenders and lawyers, in addition to Gao Zhisheng and Li Yuxuan, there are also dissidents such as Yu Wensheng, Huang Qi, Ge Juping, Qin Yongmin, Ilam Tohti, Tashi Wangchuk, Wu Gan and Liu Feiyue, and urged their immediate release.
As a defense lawyer, Li Yuxun has been active in defending victims of human rights violations, including human rights lawyers detained during the 709 crackdown, the EU announcement said. But the female lawyer was taken away by police on Oct. 9, 2017, when she took over the case of Guizhou retired soldier Hu’s freedom to defend his rights.
On October 31, 2017, Li Yuxuan was criminally detained by the Shenyang Heping District Police on suspicion of provocation and harassment, and has been detained for three years without trial, and is currently being held at the Shenyang Detention Center.
The EU report noted that Li has been defending human rights and the rule of law in China for many years, as well as the rights of the families of the dissidents concerned. The statement said Li’s health has deteriorated during his detention.
Borrelli urged that the EU expects the Chinese side to ensure full respect for the rule of law, establish fair trial guarantees and conduct thorough investigations into all reported cases of arbitrary detention, as well as ill-treatment and torture of human rights defenders and their families.
The EU Council voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to adopt a European version of the Magnitsky Human Rights Act, which could allow the EU to impose direct sanctions on government officials who violate human rights, ban them from entering the EU, confiscate all their assets in the EU, etc., and could more accurately target human rights abusers.
Gao Zhisheng, a well-known Chinese human rights lawyer, has been missing for more than three years since his abduction. His whereabouts have been unknown since he was taken away by security forces three years ago, and the location of his secret detention remains unknown. Geng’s wife, Geng He, has called for attention to his situation and asked the Chinese authorities to release Gao Zhisheng, and for the U.S. government to assist in his rescue.
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