US lawmakers ask Beijing to reinstate law firm of rights activist
   
   The US House of Representatives adopted a resolution urging China to lift
   the suspension of a prominent Beijing-based rights activist's law firm.
   

   Gao Zhisheng's law office was ordered closed for a year after he wrote an
   open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao calling
   for an end to the persecution of the Falungong spiritual sect.
   
   Gao also has defended ordinary people in lawsuits against the government and
   helped educate rural farmers of their legal rights.
   
   The House resolution, approved 421-0, urged Beijing "to reinstate all
   licenses" of Gao and his law firm and "remove all legal and political
   obstacles for lawyers attempting to defend criminal cases in China,
   including politically sensitive cases."
   
   It also sought a revision of "law and practice in China so that it conforms
   to international standards."
   
   Gao's plight has become one of the high profile examples of extreme action
   by China's communist rulers to suppress anti-government dissent.
   
   "As a former soldier in the Peoples Liberation Army and a member of the
   Chinese Communist Party, Gao was set to join China's political and social
   elite. But instead of power and prestige, Gao opted to become a human rights
   lawyer in a nation where respect for human rights and political freedoms are
   not part of the governments lexicon," said Tom Lantos, a Democratic
   lawmaker.
   
   Lantos, who heads the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, said police had
   made threats to Gao, including telling him "we even know which bus your
   children usually take to go to school."
   
   "These scare tactics are unfortunately standard practice against Chinese
   lawyers who fight for real justice in the Chinese legal system," Lantos
   said.
   
   Human rights was among key issues raised by US President George W. Bush to
   Hu during the Chinese leader's visit to the United States last week.
   
   
   
   
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