2012-05-21   Article Source:

Geng He, the wife of the man known as China's conscience, lawyer Gao Zhisheng, says she is happy for fellow legal activist Chen Guangcheng, who left China over the weekend. Geng expressed concern for her husband who has been repeatedly tortured and remains imprisoned in China's far-western province for his defence of persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.


Wife of renowned Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has given her blessings to blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, after Chen and his family arrived in the United Stated over the weekend.

[Geng He, Wife of Gao Zhisheng] (female, Chinese 1st in footage)
“I am very happy that Guangcheng is free at last. I send my wishes to Guangcheng and his family.”

Geng He spoke with NTD from San Francisco. She and her two children have settled there since fleeing China in 2009. Her husband, prominent dissident lawyer remains imprisoned in China’s far-west Xinjiang Province.

Geng He recounted the time in 2005 when Gao Zhisheng and others tried to visit Chen Guangcheng who had been under house arrest at that time.

[Geng He, Wife of Gao Zhisheng] (female, Chinese 3rd in footage)
“The four or five of them all wore t-shirts with Chen Guangcheng’s picture. They came back the next night, all topless with just their pants on. All of their tops were taken off, they also had marks on their bodies.”

Geng says their two families have suffered the same fate at the hands of the Chinese regime’s Political and Legislative Affairs Committee, or PLAC. It’s an agency with wide-reaching security and judiciary powers known tasked with suppressing dissent.

[Geng He, Wife of Gao Zhisheng] (female, Chinese 5th in footage)
“The persecution of my family is the same as the persecution of Chen Guangcheng. That’s because both are directed by the PLAC.”

Geng He says while Chen Guangcheng’s arrival in the U.S. is encouraging, she hopes more can be done to free her husband.

[Geng He, Wife of Gao Zhisheng] (female, Chinese last in footage)
“While I’m happy, there is still pain in my heart. Gao Zhisheng is still in Shayang Prison in Xinjiang.”

Gao Zhisheng was once regarded as one of China’s most promising rights lawyers. He became a target of Chinese authorities in 2006 after making public calls on the Communist Regime to end the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice. His latest prison term came after extended periods of forced disappearances by Chinese authorities.