Washington Times: "We strongly believe that China must be discouraged from detaining individuals for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression," the House members said in a letter to Mr. Obama.They referred to the arrests of Gao Zhisheng, a human rights lawyer who has defended religious minorities, and Liu Xiaobo,sentenced to 11 years in prison last year for his role in drafting "Charter '08," which calls on China's ruling Communist Party to respect human rights and the rule of law.
Mr. Gao, known as the "conscience of China," was jailed without charge or trial last year. He was released in March but detained again in April and is now held incommunicado."Mr. Gao's case is the most egregious example of China's growing pressure on human rights lawyers," the House members said. "If lawyers are hauled away for the 'crime' of defending their clients, then even the pretense of rule of law in China has failed," they said. Read more...
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