China says Missing Lawyer 'is where he should be'

Lately Gao Zhisheng has really been on my heart, so today when I found this story I wanted to share it with you.  Apparently, it is now being reported that Gao "is where he should be" and "not missing".  To my knowledge, VOM has not yet verified this report as is being reported by the Associated Press. 

In fact, for all the latest information on Gao and how you can still help by signing the petition we have set up to encourage Gao, please visit http://www.freegao.com 

Here's part of the AP story...

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese human rights lawyer missing for almost a year has been judged by legal authorities and "is where he should be," a Foreign Ministry official said in China's first public comment on the case.

Gao Zhisheng, one of China's most daring lawyers, has drawn international attention for the unusual length of his disappearance and for his earlier reports of the torture he said he faced from security forces. In a memoir, he described severe beatings, electric shocks to his genitals and cigarettes held to his eyes

...

But at a regular press conference Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu indicated that Gao was in custody, after he was asked whether he knew where Gao was.

"The relevant judicial authorities have decided this case, and we should say this person, according to Chinese law, is where he should be," Ma said.

...

A lawyer for Gao, Li Fangping, called the Foreign Ministry's comments "extremely insincere," and said Friday that after one year, no one in Gao's family knows where he is.

"His case is an indication of China's human rights situation," Li said.