The renowned Chinese Christian attorney Gao Zhisheng was almost killed in a mysterious car crash after being tightly followed by the Chinese policemen in Beijing for over 70 days.
At 10:24 p.m. on Tuesday, Gao was driving on a highway near the Asia Sports Game Village in northwest Beijing when another car allegedly attempted to crash into his car. Mysteriously, the car with its license plate covered by newspaper, according to the Gao’s report obtained by the U.S.-based Chinese Christian persecution monitor group China Aid Association (CAA).
Gao was able to avoid the crush as he stopped his car just inches from the mysterious car in front of him. However, when Gao got off and walked to the mysterious car, the car began moving towards him. Gao quickly jumped out and therefore survived the dangerous attack, CAA reported.
Gao told CAA that the car ran away immediately after the second attempt to crash failed. Gao also caught the car number-JING EB8233- as the newspaper used to cover the plate fell to the ground.
According to CAA, Gao claimed that a military vehicle had been on the scene during the whole "accident". However, no one is identified responsible for the unusual car crash so far.
The "accident" followed a series of government-sponsored harassment targeted on Gao and other human rights activists in Beijing in the last few days.
Gao and his family members have been under constant surveillance by plain-clothes police officers since last October. Last Friday, the Chinese police have detained him for an hour after he tried to film plain-clothes policemen tailing him with his video camera, according to Reuters. His arrest has drawn widespread attention from both inside and outside of China.
After the continuous full day monitoring of Chinese police on Saturday, the unregistered church - Beijing Ark House Church - attended by Gao and some other famous writers and lawyers was raided on Sunday, CAA reported.
Gao has been repeatedly persecuted by Chinese policemen after he presented himself as one of the leading attorneys in the court in the high-profile case of the Beijing house church pastor Cai Zhuohua last year.
Cai was charged for running "illegal business practices" and handed a prison sentence of three years after police found a large number of Bibles and religious materials in a church warehouse.
In respond to the latest attempted attack on Gao, president of CAA Bob Fu, stated in the press release, "We urgently appeal to the international community to continue to show your concern for the safety of Mr. Gao and his family members."
"The highest officials of the Chinese government should be held accountable by the international community for brutal activities like this. They have a constitutional responsibility and international obligation to protect the security of Chinese citizens and their freedom to travel - especially attorneys representing their clients."
CAA also urges international Christian communities to pray continuously for Gao and his family and write emails and make phone calls to show solidarity and brotherly love for Gao.
