Release International

A prominent religious rights lawyer from Beijing has survived an assassination attempt.

Gao Zhisheng, whose clients have included Pastor Cai Zhuohua, was driving in the north-west of the Chinese capital when a car stopped suddenly in front of him. Gao narrowly missed hitting the vehicle and got out of his car to remonstrate. The driver of the other car then tried to run Gao down, but failed as the lawyer dodged out of its path.

The incident took place at about 10.30pm on January 17. Shortly afterwards, Mr Zhisheng sent this message to a Beijing civil rights activist: 'This was obviously an attempt to cause an accident so it looked like I deliberately hit the other car. Because that car's rear plate was covered, I walked to see their front car plate. At that very moment (...), the car suddenly started and rushed straight at me. I stood aside in a miraculously fast move (...) My right hand touched the right front of the car.'

A piece of newspaper obscuring the car's rear number plate blew off as the vehicle sped away and Mr Zhisheng was able to report its registration. The Voice of the Martyrs Canada reports that Gao's attacker is believed to have been a 'security agent of the Chinese government'.

Mr Zhisheng also reported that the occupants of a 'mysterious military vehicle' nearby observed the incident, without intervening.

This attack is by no means the first on Mr Zhisheng since he took on the defence of a well-known Beijing church leader, Pastor Cai, who was given a three-year sentence in November for printing Christian literature. 7x7 reported on December 6 that Mr Zhisheng has been followed by up to 20 agents at a time and that agents have tried to drive him off the road more than once. His law practice has been shut down for a year and his licence suspended in December.

The church he attends, the Church of Ark in Beijing, has been raided twice this month by law enforcement officers claiming the congregation was 'disturbing the public peace'.

Act
Write a polite letter to the Chinese authorities expressing concern for the safety of Gao Zhisheng. Write to: Ms Wu Aiying, Minister at the Ministry of Justice of the People's
Republic of China, No. 10 Nan Da Jie, Chaoyangmen, Beijing City 100020, China.

Email messages of support to Mr Zhisheng at gaozhisheng@263.net

Pray

• Pray for the safety of Gao Zhisheng, his wife and 12-year-old daughter who are under almost constant surveillance. Ask God to strengthen their faith.
• Pray that the people sent to follow the Zhisheng family will be touched by their bravery and Mr Zhisheng's Christian witness.

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