Washington, DC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) issued the following statement today in response to the judgment by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in the disappearance of Chinese lawyer Gao Zhisheng:

"I commend the thorough investigation by the independent UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention into the disappearance of Gao Zhisheng, the Chinese lawyer and human rights advocate. I am deeply concerned for Gao's welfare, and I call on the Chinese government to release him immediately and reunite him with his wife and family. Once celebrated by his government as a hero for fighting corruption and promoting justice for ordinary people, Gao ran into trouble for one reason: he took seriously Chinese laws that protect basic human rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion. The Chinese government can reaffirm its respect for these laws and the universal human rights they embody by releasing Gao immediately."