US must ‘publicly and consistently’ press China to release its political prisoners, Congress told

House Foreign Affairs panel hears testimony from wife of detained human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and others seeking stronger approach by Washington

Congress also urged to boost transparency obligations on American businesses operating in Hong Kong to make it harder for activists to be prosecuted

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Republican congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey is chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee panel that convened the hearing in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 6:01am, 21 Apr 2023Updated: 6:06am, 21 Apr 2023

The US must “publicly and consistently” call for the release of political prisoners in China, impose transparency obligations on American businesses in Hong Kong and increase resources for young Chinese activists, witnesses told a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.

The hearing was titled “Where is Gao Zhisheng?” in reference to a human rights lawyer who rose to international prominence for defending members of the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong and championing farmers’ land rights in China.

Gao was last seen in 2017. His wife, Geng He, along with Sophie Luo, the wife of human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, were among two of six witnesses testifying at Thursday’s hearing in Washington.

Geng made an emotional plea for help to secure her husband’s freedom, beseeching US officials in China to visit Gao and ask Beijing to make his trial public and grant him visitation rights.

But if this could not be achieved, Geng said, “it’s OK [at least] to have Gao Zhisheng give me a call to tell me he’s still alive”.

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