The Freedom for Gao Zhisheng Act is named after the Chinese human rights lawyer who went missing in August 2017.

Ma’s mission with the documentary, “Transcending Fear: The Story of Gao Zhisheng,” was to show people the attorney's unwavering determination. 

Frank Wolf (R-VA), a longtime supporter of Gao Zhisheng, who took on his cause as part of a human rights project, said he was "relieved to hear that Gao has been granted his freedom from torture and seclusion, though I fear that he may not be truly free

“Gao Zhisheng has been missing for almost eight years and the Chinese Government’s refusal to engage on his enforced disappearance is totally unacceptable,” Lawlor stated.

Once dubbed the "conscience of China," Gao Zhisheng spoke out powerfully for the persecuted and dispossessed. Now, after five years of abuse, the voice that challenged injustice is, for the moment at least, almost silenced.

The Freedom for Gao Zhisheng Act, introduced in September by Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, also seeks the release of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and Lai.

Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in a file photo. (Verna Yu/AFP/Getty Images) The plight of Gao Zhisheng, who has been missing for eight years, was also raised by the EU during the meeting.

Four days before his probation was due to end, Xinhua News Agency reported that Gao Zhisheng would be in jail for the next three years.

U.S. officials and rights advocates have called for the immediate release of Gao Zhisheng, a Chinese lawyer whose whereabouts have been unknown for the last seven years.

Chinese activists demonstrate in front of the San Francisco Chinese Consulate on the 61st birthday of missing human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng.

Gao Zhisheng Nine years after the 709 clampdown, some of the lawyers remain in Chinese custody. Among them is Gao Zhisheng, a renowned human rights lawyer who went missing from his home in northern China’s Shaanxi Province in August 2017.

Gao Zhisheng. (The Epoch Times) It's been over a year since human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was detained in the remote Shaya Prison in Xinjiang Province, and only recently was he allowed to meet his family for the second time.

"Gao Zhisheng needs freedom! My child and I will not enjoy freedom until the day Gao Zhisheng enjoys his." Nine other Chinese lawyers won the title of "Ten Best Human Rights Defense Lawyers Award" along with Gao.

Gao Zhisheng. (The Epoch Times)Gao Zhisheng, the famous Chinese human rights lawyer now jailed in the remote Western region of Xinjiang, was allowed an inaugural jail visit by his brother and his wife's father, said his wife, Geng He.

Gao Zhisheng is a Chinese human rights attorney and political dissident known for defending religious minorities in China. Mr. Gao has been arrested many times in China and has reportedly been disappeared since Sep. 2017.

Communist Party Fears Gao Zhisheng Sun Yong, a member of the Chinese Human Rights Protection Group, carried around a portrait of jailed human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng.

Land, Property Baltics Condemn Chinese Envoy's Stance Suggesting Former Soviet States Aren't Sovereign Nations Australia Announces Major Defense Overhaul Where Is Gao Zhisheng?

Gao Zhisheng is pictured in his law office in Beijing on Nov. 2, 2005.

Missing Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng's son Gao Tianyu signing the floating sculpture of Gao Zhisheng on Aug. 13, 2022.

Gao Zhisheng’s Wife Joins Send-Off Among those present was Geng He, wife of disappeared human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has been missing for more than eight years after being taken into custody by the CCP.

Gao Zhisheng (Epoch Times Photo Archive)An unconfirmed report of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng's death has been posted to China's Internet.

Protesters demand the release of Chinese human rights Gao Zhisheng in Hong Kong on June 17, 2009.

Attorney Gao Zhisheng with his family, prior to his arrest in 2006. (The Epoch Times)UPDATED at 3:20am EST 12/19/2011.

Human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng (The Epoch Times)On the first of 50 nights that Chinese human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng endured torture at the hands of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents in the fall of 2007, Gao was told, "Today your uncles want

Attorney Gao Zhisheng with his family, prior to his arrest in 2006. (The Epoch Times)My husband Gao Zhisheng is a renowned lawyer in China.

The most notable case is that of Gao Zhisheng, who has been missing since 2017. Additionally, the regime is known for extending its persecution of Falun Gong abroad by hiring proxies and engaging in influence attempts.

Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in a file photo.

Jekielek: Yes, Gao Zhisheng, one of the true heroes of freedom and religious liberty and just fighting for the common man. It was heartbreaking.

Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), chair and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, called on China to release Gao Zhisheng, a human rights lawyer who has been missing for seven years. The Associated Press contributed to this report.