On July 9, the Institute for Religion and Democracy hosted a panel concerning the kidnapping in 2017 by the Chinese Communist Party of China’s leading human rights and religious liberty lawyer, Gao Zhisheng. The speakers were Professor William Saunders, China Aid’s founder, Bob Fu, and Distinguished Fellow, Chen Guangcheng. The speakers recounted the compelling need to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for Gao’s kidnapping and subsequent “disappearance,” and discussed strategies to secure his release. Gao served as attorney for Guangcheng as well as members of various faiths and spiritualities (including Christians, Tibetans and Falun Gong). (A portrait of Gao, who converted to Christianity during prior arrest and torture, is displayed at the Catholic University of America.) July 9th’s event followed upon the commemoration the day before at the U.S. Capitol of the July 9, 2015 crackdown on human rights lawyers in China by the CCP.
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