SAN FRANCISCO–For Gao Zhisheng’s family, visiting the imprisoned
Christian at his remote exile in western China takes days.
Gao’s father-in-law and older brother made the trek in January:
The pair rode a train nearly 2,000 miles from Shaanxi Province into the
craggy mountains of the desert region of Xinjiang after obtaining
clearance from prison officials to visit Gao. Then they took a public
bus to its last stop, where they hired a motorcycle driver to travel the
lone road to Shaya Prison, where the dissident has been jailed. When
the father and son reached the first security checkpoint, a guard
delivered cruel news: Despite official assurance to the family, no one
could see Gao.
The dejected men tried the trek again in March. This time
officials allowed a visit, but gave strict orders: Don’t talk about
Gao’s case. Don’t mention his lawyers. Discuss only family and health.
Finally, after the days-long trip, and the hour-long orientation, prison
guards allowed the men to visit Gao for 30 minutes.
Nearly 6,000 miles away, Gao’s wife, Geng He, can recount that
story openly near her home in northern California. Geng fled to the
United States with her two children in 2009 after Chinese authorities
harassed her family for years.
Here she’s free to bring attention to her husband’s plight, but
she’s deeply lonely without him. And she struggles to explain the ordeal
to their 8-year-old son: “It’s very hard for him to understand why
daddy disappeared.”
Gao’s disappearance into the Chinese prison system is a
mysterious saga. But at least one thing seems clear: Chinese officials
remain determined to silence the Christian attorney who challenged an
oppressive system.
Like other dissidents in Communist China, Gao, 48, has contended
publicly for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and justice for the
oppressed. And like others, he’s paid a steep price: prison sentences,
abuse, and separation from family.
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