Will China allow rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng to seek medical help abroad?

In a letter to ChinaAid, Grace Geng last week called on German chancellor Angela Merkel to speak out on behalf of her father during her just-concluded visit to China.

The case of Gao Zhisheng, a prominent human rights lawyer, has appeared in newspaper editorials since he was first targeted for “inciting subversion” in 2005. According to Ms Geng, her father has been missing since last August and his whereabouts are still unknown (“Unbowed, unbent, unbroken: Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng speaks out on his torture”, September 24, 2015).

Mr Gao, who is known for representing Christians, has been unable to leave China, despite serious dental problems which restrict his ability to eat. As his daughter put it in her letter, “My mother, my brother, and – as well as all of our relatives – are very worried”.

An act of goodwill on the part of China to secure the release of Gao, and allow him to travel abroad for medical treatment, would surely be welcomed with open arms.