Dozens of people gathered in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on April 20 to call on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to immediately release renowned political prisoner Gao Zhisheng.
April 20 marked the eighth birthday Gao has had since he disappeared. He has been missing since 2017.
As a lawyer, Gao defended the rights of minority groups that are persecuted by the CCP, such as Christians and Falun Gong practitioners. He wrote open letters to senior CCP officials expressing his concern about human rights abuses.
In 2006, Gao was convicted of “subversion.” Over the next several years, he was repeatedly abducted by CCP authorities, imprisoned, and tortured. He was placed under house arrest in 2014 and vanished from his home in 2017.
No information about Gao’s whereabouts has been available since he was taken on Aug. 13, 2017, and his family has not heard from him or about his whereabouts.
The atmosphere at Sunday’s event in San Francisco was solemn yet warm, as it was also a celebration of Gao’s 61st birthday.
Letter From Gao’s Wife
The event began with a reading of a public letter from Gao’s wife, Geng He, delivered by event host Li Haifeng, head of the China Democratic and Human Rights Alliance.In the letter, Geng wrote: “Today is April 20, 2025—my husband Gao Zhisheng’s 61st birthday. This should be a day of family reunion, yet it is filled with endless pain and longing. I haven’t seen him in 16 years. For seven years, eight months, and seven days, I haven’t heard his voice. I don’t even know whether he is alive or dead. For 19 years, he hasn’t known true freedom. As his wife, I fled to the United States 16 years ago to protect our children. Since then, we’ve been separated, enduring unimaginable torment.”
Geng expressed her gratitude to those who have spoken out for her husband.
“Please do not forget Gao Zhisheng,” she wrote.
“Do not forget the courage and conviction he represents. Please continue to call for his release, so his name is not forgotten.
“To the Chinese communist government, I say this: You can take away Gao Zhisheng’s physical freedom, but you cannot erase his spirit or the love we hold for him. I urge you again—release Gao Zhisheng immediately. Reveal his whereabouts. Let him reunite with his family! A 61-year-old man, a husband and father who sacrificed for justice, should not spend his birthday in darkness. He should be with us.”
Messages From Demonstrators
At the event, participants took turns recording videos expressing their respect and best wishes for Gao.“Every Chinese person should forever remember Gao Zhisheng’s sacrifice and dedication,” one of them said.
“Lawyer Gao, I admire you. Thank you for your contributions to China’s democratic movement,” another said.
“Stay strong, Lawyer Gao!” another said.
Li, the event host, told The Epoch Times that these messages would be compiled into a video and sent to Geng to convey their support and care.
“Maybe Lawyer Gao can’t hear them, but she can,” he said. “Without Geng He’s unwavering support, Gao Zhisheng may not have made it this far.”
He said the idea to host the event came from his personal experience. In 2021, during China’s strict COVID lockdowns, Li came to the United States alone while uncertain about the future and unable to bring his wife with him. That separation gave him a deeper understanding of the agony Geng has endured for years, living with no knowledge of whether her husband is alive or dead.
A Chinese immigrant named Yang expressed his deep admiration for Gao to The Epoch Times.
“Gao was once a top lawyer in China. He could have lived a comfortable life, but instead, he chose to sacrifice everything to speak out for the Chinese people, the nation, and our society. He sought no material reward. His spirit is something we all should learn from,” he said.
Yang acknowledged the painful experience Gao’s family is going through and hoped to encourage them to “stay strong” until Gao regains his freedom.
Many young families were present at the event. One attendee named Qin drove more than an hour with his wife and 17-month-old son to join. He shared that they frequently participate in anti-CCP rallies.
“We do whatever we can to help. We want to express our longing for and commitment to a free system,” he told The Epoch Times.
He said his family’s land was forcibly seized by the CCP without compensation, prompting three generations of petitioning with no results—only more persecution. His grandmother was labeled an “anti-communist,” and both his father and he himself were harassed and detained for speaking out, filing complaints, and posting online.
“In China, anyone who tells the truth will be suppressed,” Qin said.
He said he and his wife came to the United States to escape the harassment.
Zheng Yonghua, another participant at the event, expressed deep respect for Gao. He believes that universal values such as freedom of speech and belief transcend political affiliation. The CCP, he said, disappeared Gao precisely because of his righteousness and courage.
Zheng said that the regime’s persecution of political prisoners is extremely brutal. Many are secretly imprisoned or are even killed through forced organ harvesting, yet much of this remains hidden from the public, he said.
“Only when the CCP collapses will the world finally know the truth,” he said.
