The renowned Chinese human rights attorney, Gao Zhisheng was compelled to leave home on the afternoon of March 25th, because on the 24th and 25th, people from Xinjiang Kaziwan Cement Plant burst into his home and demanded 110,000 yuan (approximately US$13,580) payment on a cement “receivable” that Gao transferred 11 years ago, and they also verbally harassed him under his apartment building. Gao said, “I am forced to leave; this is persecution! From my experiences and many others’, we can fully understand how tragic a plight the Falun Gong practitioners are in!”
On March 24, two males and one female from Xinjiang Kaziwan Cement Plant, where Gao Zhisheng used to work, burst into Gao’s home to demand he pay an unpaid bill to a purchaser who was a client of Gao’s when Gao was helping the plant to promote cement sales 11 years ago. They knocked at Gao’s door from morning until about 11pm. They also continuously shouted insults under his apartment building, “We are the creditors; Gao Zhisheng does not pay what he owes!”
Gao had issued a statement for this transaction, he explained in detail what had transpired 11 years ago and the persons the account was transferred to at that time. The delivery bill was also handed over to the Plant, otherwise it would have been impossible to obtain a permission certificate to leave the premises. And, from a legal point of view, the actions of these people are against the law. But they paid no heed to what Gao had to say.
On the afternoon of the 25th, the same three people burst into Gao’s home again. According to Gao’s wife, Geng, they said: “Gao Zhisheng, you listen! We are not going to sue you because we know we are not going to win, but we will follow you wherever you go. We will follow you even if you go overseas! You have only two choices: either you go to the purchaser to get him to pay the bill, or you write a letter to admit that you owe us the money! Otherwise, we will harass you 24 hours a day!”
Attorney Gao later said, “I am really driven beyond the limits of forbearance, so I reported it to the police.” After police took the offenders away, Gao was compelled to leave his home that evening at about 6:20pm.
Gao analyzed the situation and said: “In the beginning, I have had conflicts with the plainclothes policemen nearly everyday, and the conflicts continued to get more severe. In the end, I stopped going out to avoid getting them into an excited ”bloodthirsty“ mood! Then they searched around for evidence to incriminate me further and they came up with this 11 year old incident. They used an old account to attack me, which I had properly handed over to the purchaser, but he failed to pay.”
He said that, “There is no evil that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is incapable of adopting, it is beyond our wildest dreams and imagination what they are capable of doing. It is not possible for me to pay the account; they just want to disgust me. The phrase ”disgusting you“ is a Chinese saying. The CCP has means to use these lackeys readily!”
Attorney Gao said, “If I stayed home, they would be there tormenting me endlessly, there would be no life for my family; children would hide in their rooms in fear...We have feelings. When I left home, my family all cried! Children were crying, my wife was crying, I was crying too, my heart was in such pain.” Gao was still on a hunger strike that day; he had to stay at a friend’s place in a suburb of Beijing that night.
What does the CCP really want?
The reporter said that, just because of the three open letters attorney Gao had written to Hu and Wen of the injustice exerted on Falun Gong practitioners, he has experienced ongoing intimidation, assassination attempts, office closure, surveillance, isolation, insults, etc. For months, Gao has experienced all sorts of harassment and threats that left him no choice but to leave his family and home... The reporter asked Gao if he had any regrets.
Attorney Gao replied, “You should trust me like you would trust yourself, we are adults, we know the CCP well and know clearly the consequence that follows our actions! I only want to tell everyone that, I, Gao Zhisheng, am not wrong! I am not a tenacious person who does not admit my faults! It is because I am not wrong! I have anticipated the plight that I am in and the consequences! Anything that happens to me will all be ‘normal’ to the CCP. If I was not in prison, it would be abnormal to them.”
The human rights activity starts with the termination of persecuting Falun Gong
Attorney Gao explicitly indicated that more and more situations have clearly showed us that the anti-persecution of human rights must start with a strong request or positive actions to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This is not only for others, this is for us as well! No one should be an observer! No one has the right to think this threat does not concern them! If the present atrocity on Faluln Gong practitioners continues, everyone of us would face the same kind of conviction! Everywhere, everyone could face this crisis.
“In supporting the human rights and against violence hunger strike activity, the CCP could abduct anyone at any time to any place! One must know, even in the ‘Great Cultural Revolution,’ a crime must be pinned on a person before arresting him, but nothing is needed now! It is totally organized crime-like means! How did it come to this? Is it the result of our own numbness and condonation!? The CCP is starting to use ways and means they used for years to persecute Falun Gong practitioners on us. Due to prolonged periods of persecution, in the eyes of those policemen, we are no different from Falun Gong practitioners, because we do not obey the party rules, we are to be treated the same way!”
Attorney Gao continued, “The Sujiatun event warned us once again that today’s stopping the persecution of human rights must first start with the righteous request to stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, start with the termination of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.”
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