China says missing lawyer 'is where he should be'
Gao Zhisheng, a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer missing for almost a year, has been judged by legal authorities and 'is where he should be'.
Published: 11:44AM GMT 22 Jan 2010
Mr Gao, one of China's most daring lawyers, has drawn international attention for the unusual length of his disappearance and for his earlier reports of the torture he said he faced from security forces.
In a memoir, he described severe beatings, electric shocks to his genitals and cigarettes held to his eyes.
His brother said earlier this month that the Beijing police officer who took Mr Gao away in February 2009 told him he "went missing" in September, leading to fears that the lawyer may have died in custody.
But at a regular press conference on Thursday, a foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu indicated that Mr Gao was in custody, after he was asked whether he knew where he was.
"The relevant judicial authorities have decided this case, and we should say this person, according to Chinese law, is where he should be," said Mr Ma. "As far as what exactly he's doing, I don't know. You can ask relevant authorities." A transcript of Thursday's news conference posted on the ministry's website did not include the question on Mr Gao or Mr Ma's response.
Beijing's Public Security Bureau referred questions on Friday to the Beijing High Court. The court's press office referred questions to its foreign affairs office, but telephone calls went unanswered.
Mr Gao has been one of China's best-known activist lawyers, taking on highly sensitive cases involving the banned Falun Gong spiritual group and eventually advocating constitutional reform.
When he disappeared last year, it was presumed police had taken him into custody but it has never been clear what happened to him after that.
A lawyer for Mr Gao, Li Fangping, called the foreign ministry's comments "extremely insincere", complaining that a year after his client was taken into custody, no one in Mr Gao's family knows where he is. "His case is an indication of China's human rights situation," said Mr Li.
Source :
China says missing lawyer 'is where he should be' - Telegraph