On the one-year anniversary of Gao Zhisheng's disappearance, ChinaAid is humbly asking for your help to expand our efforts in raising awareness on Gao's behalf. Please read the complete message below.
On February 4, 2009, Gao Zhisheng was abducted from his home and disappeared into the black hole of the Chinese detention system. After one year, Gao is still missing - his condition and whereabouts are still unknown.
Rumors of Gao's death have viciously circulated since December, 2009, inflicting pain and despair on his family, and weakening the resolve of many human rights organizations. Some believe that the Chinese government will never yield, and that human rights for the Chinese will remain an elusive myth.
Yet the Chinese government's silence cracked ever so slightly on January 21, 2010. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu publicly acknowledged Gao's case to the media for the first time in over a year in a news conference: "The relevant judicial authorities have decided this case, and we should say this person, according to Chinese law, is where he should be."
ChinaAid believes that based on the minister's comments and other inside reports, Gao Zhisheng is still alive, but suffering incredible torture. We will not give up on Gao until he is guaranteed his basic human rights with dignity before the law.
There is hope! And now it's time to bring up the intensity to a new level.
24-Hour Free Gao Ad Campaign
On February 4, 2010, the anniversary of Gao Zhisheng's disappearance, ChinaAid will be launching a one-day, 24-hour targeted issue-based advertising campaign to spread the news about Gao. The ads will feature a basic message, and urge people to learn more about Gao Zhisheng's case. See banner ads live on-line, Thursday, February 4, 2010, hosted on www.DrudgeReport.com
The chosen site boasts traffic of up to 25 million page views per day, with over 2 million unique site visitors - promising a high number of concerned citizens learning about Gao Zhisheng for the first time. We hope to effectively generate new interest and add more pressure to the Chinese government to respond.
The sample below illustrates the primary design for the 24-hour campaign. These banner ads will be animated, linking to a webpage sharing Gao's story, and directing the viewer to www.FreeGao.com, to Sign the Petition, and to Contact their U.S. Representative or the Office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
We humbly ask you to consider being a part of this next push on behalf of Gao Zhisheng, to get his story out and urge the international community to step forward to raise the alarm.
Please consider donating to specially offset the cost of this ad campaign, as we step up the campaign to the next level on the Anniversary of Gao Zhisheng's disappearance. Every small effort helps.
February 4th - 365 Days of Torture
Last year, Gao Zhisheng was a world-renowned Chinese Christian attorney, a champion of human rights and equality before the law.
Last year, Gao Zhisheng was a Nobel Peace Prize 2008 nominee, a hero of the Chinese people.
Last year, Gao Zhisheng fought for freedom for religious minorities, risking everything to defend the persecuted.
Last year, Gao Zhisheng shared the truth of his torture at the hands of the Chinese government.
Last year, Gao Zhisheng could see, hear, and touch his family, loving them with faith and courage.
Then last year, on February 4th, 2009, everything changed.
Today, Gao Zhisheng is denied the basic human rights he fought for every day on behalf of his fellow countrymen.
Today, Gao Zhisheng is hidden from the world by the Chinese government, masked by a shroud of secrecy and doubt.
Today, Gao's wife and children face devastating separation, suffering from the pain of loss and uncertainty.
Today, Gao suffers silent torture, never knowing if he will see his loved ones again.
Today, is the day to make the truth known.
Today, on February 4, 2010, we refuse to let Gao Zhisheng be forgotten, and we challenge the Chinese government to answer our cry: "Where is Gao Zhisheng?"
On the one year anniversary of Gao's forced disappearance, ChinaAid calls again on the international community to raise their voices to Free Gao Zhisheng.
To increase awareness, we have launched the Free Gao 24-hour Ad campaign. Visit www.DrudgeReport.com today to see the ads and tell others about the campaign. We give special thanks to those who have generously donated to help support this new ad-campaign, which will reach more than 2 million new viewers in the United States and around the world.
If you have not yet made a contribution and would like to get involved, please consider donating to help Free Gao today. We thank you for making our campaign efforts possible. Donate
New Steps to Action:
ChinaAid thanks the more than 126,200 people who have signed the petition, the thousands of supporters who sent 469,500 e-mail inquiries to Chinese businesses and government offices, the 11,202 individuals who contacted their U.S. Representatives, and the countless others who faxed and called the Chinese Embassy for Gao's release in 2009.
In the coming months, we will be taking Free Gao campaign to the next level, calling on the United Nations and the European Union to defend human rights in China, and intercede on behalf of Gao Zhisheng.
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