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WASHINGTON, April 29: On April 27 ChinaAid
delivered more than 50,000 signatures to the U.S.
Secretary of State Clinton representing concerned
citizens in the U.S. and around the world who are asking
for the immediate release of Gao Zhisheng, a Christian
human rights attorney who was kidnapped by Chinese
officials more than 80 days ago. Copies of the petition
have also been given to the U.S. Congress and the
Chinese Embassy. Gao Zhisheng was last seen on February
4 being hauled away by Chinese police officers. He has
defended persecuted Christians and others who have been
abused by the Chinese government for their beliefs.
Sources inside China say he is undergoing severe
torture. The petition is the first installment of
signatures on behalf of Gao.
ChinaAid will continue the petition and calls all those
concerned to sign the petition at www.FreeGao.com and
continue to pressure the Chinese government for his
release. The petition delivery to the U.S. State
Department is the latest in a series of actions on Gao's
behalf.
Last Thursday, Gao's wife, Geng He, together with
ChinaAid founder and president, Bob Fu met with Senator
Bryon Dorgan, Cochairman of the Congressional-Executive
Commission on China (CECC) and presented him with a copy
of the petition. The same day, the Senator spoke from
the Senate floor about Gao Zhisheng's case, "Chinese
government has signed or ratified most of the
international human rights commitments that require it
to come clean about Mr. Gao. And I call on and we call
on today the Chinese government to allow Mr. Gao to have
access to a lawyer, access to his family and to publicly
state and justify the grounds for the continued
detention of this courageous person."
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