Supporters of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng gathered outside the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on Aug. 13, marking nine years since he was forcibly disappeared and demanding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) free him and stop persecuting his family.
Gao was a prominent Chinese lawyer. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times and is widely known for defending religious freedom in China.
Gao first drew widespread attention for defending people persecuted by the CCP, including practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The CCP launched a nationwide persecution campaign against Falun Gong in 1999, with practitioners subjected to detention, torture, and forced ideological reeducation….