【新唐人2011年8月17日讯】美国副总统拜登8月17号到22号对中国进行正式访问，在此之前，北京著名维权律师高智晟5年缓刑期已满，但至今已“被失踪”一年多没有任何音讯。高智晟的妻子耿和希望拜登能把高智晟的问题带到中国，敦促中共当局释放高智晟，并呼吁国际社会继续关注高智晟的安危。
拜登访华期间，将与中共领导人胡锦涛、温家宝、习近平会谈。《美国之音》指出，拜登此行着重讨论经济问题，也将讨论人权、台湾和西藏问题。美国财政部国际事务次长布雷纳德说，拜登将继续在汇率问题上对中国施加压力。
总部设在美国德州的基督教团体“对华援助协会”，呼吁拜登访华期间，把敦促释放高智晟作为重要的外交议题之一。
15号，欧洲议会主席布泽克(Jerzy Buzek)发表书面声明表示，中共对待高智晟的做法是令人不能接受的，“我们担心发生最坏的情况”。布泽克呼吁中共当局遵守人权和最基本的国际法，尽快释放高智晟。
高智晟律师曾代理法轮功学员、家庭教会、拆迁户等敏感维权案件，2005年前后，高智晟三次上书中共领导人，揭露对法轮功惨绝人寰的迫害，要求立即停止这种灭绝人性的迫害。
2006年8月15号，高智晟被当局秘密拘捕﹔同年12月，北京法院以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”，对他判刑3年，缓刑5年。他此后绝大部分时间处于遭国保绑架失踪的状态。
耿和：“我这几天一直给家里打电话，一直没有高智晟的消息。他大哥也非常着急，他大哥前几天也写了寻人启事，让我放在网络上，看有没有知情人能提供一些线索。大哥也经常给北京国保打电话，他们有时接，有时不接，接了也说不知道，走丢了，就是以这种理由搪塞，所以家里人都很气愤。”
2009年，高智晟一篇题为《黑夜、黑头套、黑帮绑架》的文章在网上曝光，披露了他在2007年被监禁期间，遭受警方残酷殴打、电击生殖器和嘴巴、香烟熏眼睛、生殖器插牙签等酷刑，震惊国际社会。
前北京大学法学教授袁红冰：“高智晟是一个真正的有良心的知识份子，是一个真正的坚持法律正义的律师，是一个为了真理而勇于献身的人。他完全清楚他为法轮功精神修炼者伸张正义，在共产党的极权专制统治之下他可能遇到什么后果，他完全清楚，但是他仍然这样做了。”
2010年4月7号，失踪一年多的高智晟，被中共安排接受《美联社》采访。事后，《美联社》披露了他在“被失踪”期间遭受虐待的细节，并公布了一张高智晟的近照，与过去判若两人。
耿和：“他这个照片就是比我离开的时候老了十几岁、近20岁的状态。所以这张照片看了只是心碎，只是流泪。”
高智晟失踪后，妻子儿女每天受到国保监控和骚扰。2009年初，耿和在友人的帮助下，带着一对儿女逃离中国，目前居住在美国旧金山，他们一直盼望能与高智晟团聚。
西安维权律师张鉴康指出，当局长期将高智晟“强迫失踪”，这是严重的非法犯罪。
张鉴康：“强迫失踪实际上这种待遇是非常反人道的，国际人权法普遍的规定就是，这种强迫失踪罪是一种反人类罪行。”
高智晟曾是”中国十大优秀律师”之一，两次获得诺贝尔和平奖提名。“对华援助协会”主席傅希秋牧师表示，过去两年，已有来自185个国家的15万多人签名“释放高智晟”请愿行动。
北京维权律师谢燕益：“以高智晟律师为代表的所有维权律师是中国的脊梁，是中国的良心，他们应该得到公正的待遇，应该得到法律的保障，他们的人权是不容践踏的，这个也是全中国人民、全社会、全世界的期待和关注。政府应该到了做出抉择的时候了，如果现在还不做出抉择，对于历史是没有办法交代的。”
联合国人权组织8月15号发表声明指出，中共政府对维权律师高智晟的拘禁是违反国际法的，声明呼吁立即释放高智晟。
新唐人记者唐清梅、李元翰王明宇采访报导。
U.S. VP Urges Gao’s Release
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is on an official visit to China
from August 17 through August 22.
The well-known human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng should
have finished his five-year probation period,
but has been missing for over a year.
Gao’s wife Geng He hopes that Biden can urge the Chinese
Communist authorities to release Gao Zhisheng.
She also calls upon the international community to continue
to focus on Gao’s safety.
During his visit, Biden will meet with the communist party
(CCP) leaders Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao and Xi Jinping.
Voice of America said Biden’s visit will focus on economic
issues, human rights, Taiwan and Tibetan issues.
Lael Brainard, the United States Undersecretary of the
Treasury for International Affairs, said that
Biden would continue to put pressure on China
regarding the exchange rate issue.
Texas-based Christian group China Aid Association called
upon Biden to urge the Chinese authorities to release Gao.
On Aug. 15, President of European Parliament Jerzy Buzek
issued a written statement saying that
the CCP’s treatment of Gao is unacceptable.
“We fear the worst."
Buzek called on the CCP authorities to respect basic human
rights and international law, and release Gao immediately.
As a lawyer, Gao has represented Falun Dafa practitioners,
house churches and evicted residents in sensitive cases.
In 2005, Gao wrote three petition letters to the CCP leaders
to uncover the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners.
He also called for an immediate termination
of such inhuman persecution.
On Aug.15, 2006, Gao was secretly arrested by authorities.
In December, the Beijing court sentenced him three years
in prison and placed him on probation for five years.
His alleged “crime” was “inciting subversion of state power."
Since then, he has been kidnapped by
the National Security Bureau.
I have been calling home all the time these days,
but there’s no information about Gao Zhisheng.
His brother is also very anxious. A few days ago, he wrote a
“missing person” notice and asked me to put it online.
His brother often calls Beijing National Security Bureau.
Most of the time, they do not respond.
Even if they respond, they just say they do not know.
Our whole family is angry at their excuses.
Soon after his permanent disappearance in 2009,
one of his articles describing his torture was published.
It is titled, “Dark Night, Dark Hood,
and Kidnapping by Dark Mafia.”
It detailed brutal beatings, electric batons shocking his genitals,
cigarettes irritating his nose and eyes,
and toothpicks being inserted into his genitals,
all during his previous detainment in 2007.
These shocked the international community.
Yuan Hongbing (former Peking University law professor):
Gao Zhisheng is a real conscientious intellectual,
a lawyer that truly upholds justice, and
a courageous man willing to sacrifice himself for the truth.
He was fully aware of the danger of speaking up for
Falun Dafa practitioners under the Communist dictatorship.
He understood the consequences, but still he did it.
On April 7, 2010, after missing for a year, Gao was arranged
by the CCP to have an interview with Associated Press.
Later, Associated Press revealed the details of his abuse
during detainment, and released his photos,
in which he looked like a different person.
Geng He: In this picture, he looks ten to twenty years older
than when I left him. It is simply heartbreaking!"
After Gao’s disappearance, his wife and children suffered
continuous harassment from the National Security Bureau.
In 2009, Geng and their two children fled China for the U.S.
They have been looking forward to the reunion with Gao.
Zhang Jiankang, human rights lawyer in Xi’an, China,
said that it is a serious crime to make Gao disappear.
Zhang Jiankang: Abduction by a government is a crime
against humanity, as per international human rights laws.
Gao was named one of Ten Outstanding Chinese lawyers,
and was twice a Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
China Aid Association says that in the past two years,
more than 150,000 people from 185 countries have
signed the petition “releasing Gao Zhisheng."
Xie Yanyi (Beijing human rights lawyer):
Gao and other human rights lawyers are
the “spiritual backbone” of China.
They are China’s conscience.
They should receive fair treatment and legal protection.
Their human rights cannot be trampled upon.
This is the concern of all the Chinese people and of the world.
It is time for the government to make a choice.
Otherwise they cannot explain their actions to history.
UN’s human rights organizations issued a statement
on Aug.15 saying that the CCP’s detention of Gao is
a violation of international law.
It called for the immediate release of Gao Zhisheng.
NTD reporters Tang Qingmei, Li Yuanhan and Wang Mingyu
