2014-08-07
Gao Zhisheng during an interview at his office in Beijing, in a file photo.
AFP
Authorities at remote Shaya Prison in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang on Thursday released prominent dissident and rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng at the end of a jail term of nearly three years.
But sources close to Gao, 50, suggest that he remains under close surveillance, probably by China's state security police.
Hu Jia, a Beijing-based rights activist and long-time friend of Gao, said via Twitter that Gao and his brother had arrived back at a relative's home in Urumqi after being reunited on his release.
Gao was planning to stay in Urumqi to seek urgent dental treatment, before flying back to his hometown in the northern province of Shaanxi, Hu wrote.
Meanwhile, Gao's lawyer, Lai Xiongbin, said he had been prevented from meeting his client outside the jail.
"I had planned to meet Gao today, but the relevant departments had a chat with me and informed me that I wouldn't be allowed to meet him," Lai told RFA on Thursday.
Gao's brother Gao Zhiyi had arrived in Xinjiang on Aug. 1 to meet with him, and was waiting for him in remote Shaya county, where the jail is located.
But Gao Zhiyi declined to be interviewed when contacted by RFA on Wednesday, saying only: "Don't say anything, don't inquire ... it's really inconvenient," before hanging up the phone.
"Inconvenient" is a term frequently used by activists to denote potential monitoring of phone calls or close surveillance by police.
Fear of detention
Gao's wife, Geng He, and fellow activists say they fear the authorities may decide to whisk Gao off into secret detention when his term is up, given the sensitive nature of the cases he defended.
Geng, who escaped to the U.S. with her son and daughter in January 2009 following years of harassment and abuse by authorities, said she was "extremely worried" about what would happen to her husband after his release.
