Congressman Sponsors Jailed Chinese Christian in New Human Rights Initiative

Jailed Chinese Christian Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Selected For New Defending Freedoms Project of U.S. Congressional Human Rights Commission
ICC Note: Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) has chosen to sponsor Gao Zhisheng, an imprisoned Christian human rights attorney in China, as part of the new “Defending Freedoms Project” on Capitol Hill. The Congressman, who has been a longtime supporter of international religious freedom, wrote a personal letter to Gao telling him “your faith is an inspiration, as is your pursuit of justice.”
01/24/2013 Washington, D.C. (CA) -Prominent U.S. congressman Frank Wolf has written personally to jailed Chinese Christian human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng to inform him of his selection as one of the first two prisoners selected for the new Defending Freedoms Project of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Defending Freedoms Project was launched in December 2012 and Gao and Nabeel Rajab, prominent human rights activist in Bahrain, were the first two activists selected for the initiative, by which “members of Congress “will stand in solidarity with imprisoned human rights defenders from across the world,” according to the Commission’s co-chairs Wolf (R-Va.) and Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) and the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Katrina Lantos Swett, which is co-sponsoring the project along with Amnesty International.
Wolf is one of several U.S. congressman who have long been committed to winning Gao’s freedom.
In his Jan. 22 letter to Gao, Rep. Wolf wrote: “The goal of this project is to increase support for and raise the profile of prisoners of conscience around the world. Congressional offices will adopt at least one prisoner and work in support of that prisoner’s release.  And I have chosen to advocate for you.”
“Your faith is an inspiration as is your pursuit of justice even at great risk to your personal safety and well-being.  The Chinese communist party, just as the Soviet Union before it, is destined for the ‘ash heap of history,'” Wolf said. ”  You have my promise that I will be your friend and will not be silent in the face of your suffering.”
He ended the letter with a hand-written note that said, “I hope you will be released soon.”
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