Event Report of Voice of Anti-CCP NL: Rally at Dam Square, Amsterdam Demands "Xi Jinping, Where Has Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Been for 9 Years?"
I. Event Overview
Theme: Xi Jinping, Where Has Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Been for 9 Years? — Solidarity Rally at Dam Square, Amsterdam
Date & Time: Saturday, August 8, 2026, 13:00 – 15:00
Location: National Monument, Dam Square, Amsterdam
Organizer: Voice of Anti-CCP NL
Event Coordinator: Jiang Peikun
Participants: 10 people (dissidents, anti-communist activists, and human rights defenders)
Exhibits & Materials:
Main bilingual banners displaying: "XI JINPING! WHERE IS LAWYER GAO ZHISHENG?" and "FREE GAO ZHISHENG NOW!"
10 English A3 signs reading "Where is Gao Zhisheng?".
Nearly 200 English flyers detailing Gao Zhisheng's story, including a portrait, main demands, and a QR code linking to Amnesty International’s reports on China's human rights situation.
II. On-Site Report: Sounding the Alarm at Dam Square, Pink Attacks Fail to Stop the Voice of Justice On the afternoon of August 8, 2026, ten volunteers and human rights defenders from Voice of Anti-CCP NL gathered at the National Monument in Dam Square, Amsterdam, to speak up for Lawyer Gao Zhisheng, widely hailed as "The Backbone of Chinese Human Rights Lawyers" and "The Conscience of China." Since he was secretly abducted and forcibly disappeared by Chinese authorities on August 13, 2017, Gao has been cut off from the outside world for nine full years, with his fate and whereabouts completely unknown.
During the rally, volunteers held signs, displayed banners, and distributed flyers to passing Dutch citizens and international tourists. Many visitors stopped to read the posters on the ground, took photos, and posed for pictures with the activists to express solidarity with the defense of human rights in China.
On-Site Incident: During the demonstration, a group of individuals suspected to be pro-CCP international students attempted to disrupt the rally. They lost control of their emotions, shouting profanities ("Cao Ni Ma") and showing middle fingers at the rally participants. Facing this crude harassment driven by totalitarian indoctrination, the activists remained composed and steadfast. Completely undeterred, they continued reading statements and delivering speeches to expose the CCP's atrocities to the world.
III. Summary of Key Speeches
1. Rao Xing (Former Armed Police Officer, Dissident from Fujian): Waking Up from Within the Regime, Calling for International Attention
Rao Xing delivered an opening speech in Dutch and read the official statement on behalf of the organizer:
Dutch Speech Summary: "Mijn naam is Rao Xing. Ik was vroeger een gewapende politieagent in China. Door deze ervaring heb ik veel waarheden gezien. China onder het bewind van Xi Jinping is een systeem waarin mensen elkaar schade toebrengen... Wij vragen de regering van Xi Jinping: Maak onmiddellijk bekend waar Gao Zhisheng is!" (Translation: "My name is Rao Xing. I used to be an armed police officer in China. Through this experience, I saw many truths. China under Xi Jinping's rule is a system where people harm one another... We ask the Xi Jinping regime: Make public immediately where Gao Zhisheng is!")
Excerpt from the Official Declaration "Xi Jinping, Where Has Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Been for 9 Years?": "Today, we stand before the National Monument at Dam Square to raise a cry for justice to the world. Lawyer Gao Zhisheng bravely defended vulnerable groups, religious minorities, and the oppressed, only to become the primary target of the CCP's brutal persecution. Abducted in secrecy on August 13, 2017, today marks the 9th year of his forced disappearance! For nine long years, there has been no news, no trial, and not even his family knows whether he is alive or dead. This enforced disappearance is an outrageous violation of humanity and international law! We solemnly ask: Xi Jinping, where on earth is Lawyer Gao Zhisheng after 9 years?!"
Following his speech, Rao Xing led the volunteers in loud chanting: "Free Gao Zhisheng Now!", "Where is Lawyer Gao?!", and "Stop Enforced Disappearances!", filling Dam Square with resounding calls for justice.
2. Wei Zhijian (Guangxi Independence Activist, Member of the Democracy Party of China Netherlands Chapter): Resisting Tyranny, Supporting Gao Zhisheng and Zhang Yi
Wei Zhijian spoke on behalf of Guangxi independence activists and the Democracy Party, denouncing the CCP's reign of terror and speaking up for rights defender Zhang Yi, who was recently detained over religious and speech issues:
"Lawyer Gao Zhisheng simply spoke out for the vulnerable, yet he has been forcibly disappeared for nine years. This is not justice; it is tyranny! This is not the rule of law; it is terror! It is illegal abduction and murder! The CCP's evil autocratic regime is a gang of executioners! At the same time, we must call out for Zhang Yi: Zhang Yi is innocent! Release Zhang Yi immediately! Coming from Guangxi, I personally witnessed how the CCP suppresses minority languages and cultures in the name of 'ethnic unity.' The recently launched 'Ethnic Unity Law' is nothing but another shackle to strip away people's freedom! Today we support Gao Zhisheng and Zhang Yi, and through them, every person subjected to forced disappearance and every soul who refuses to be a slave! The voice against communism will never die!"
3. Yan Jun (Exiled Former Wuhan VPN Operator): Tearing Down the Great Firewall, Speaking for the Silenced
Exiled political asylum seeker Yan Jun drew on his past experience helping Chinese netizens breach the Firewall, illustrating the link between information freedom and legal dignity:
"Before coming to the Netherlands, I operated VPN services for a long time to help people in China bypass internet censorship. Today, I stand here to search for a man named Gao Zhisheng. People ask why a state would fear a lawyer. Because a truly independent lawyer represents the principle that the law can constrain power. And a regime that fears law above power fears people like Gao Zhisheng most. Because information is blocked and truth is covered up, more and more people want to see beyond the wall. Gao Zhisheng has not had the chance to speak for himself for nine years; today, we speak for him! A nation's true strength is not measured by its ability to make a lawyer disappear for nine years, but by its willingness to let its people speak the truth!"
4. Yu Yang (Member of the Democracy Party of China Netherlands Chapter): Remembering Fighters, Guarding Every Person's Dignity
Yu Yang listed several persecuted Chinese conscience figures, highlighting the power of sustained public attention:
"Lawyer Gao Zhisheng once said that lawyers must defend not only the law, but human dignity. But Gao is not the only one—citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, human rights lawyers Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan, as well as citizens like Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, have all lost their freedom for adhering to conscience. A society progresses not because everyone stays silent, but because someone stands up when facing injustice. We stand here today not just to honor their courage, but to continue their unfinished work. Silence will not bring freedom, and forgetting will not bring justice. Only through constant attention and unity can hope endure."
5. Hao Wangyong (Anti-Communist Activist & Christian from Qingyang, Gansu): Advocating for Rule of Law and Religious Freedom
Hao Wangyong expressed his hopes for a rule-of-law China from the perspective of faith and conscience:
"We stand on this free land not out of hatred, but to remember one man's conscience. When a lawyer loses freedom for speaking for the people, and a citizen is suppressed for criticizing power, it is a tragedy not just for Gao Zhisheng, but an injury to the rule of law and human rights. The China we want to see is not one where people fear speaking the truth, but one where citizens express themselves freely, lawyers defend legally, news reports independently, and power is constrained by law. Speak up for Gao Zhisheng! Speak up for rule of law! Speak up for freedom!"
6. Dang Zhao (Dissident from Shenzhen, Member of the Democracy Party of China): Demand for Whereabouts and Immediate Release
Dang Zhao addressed the CCP authorities directly with an urgent demand:
"Today is August 8, 2026. Since August 2017, Lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been out of contact with the outside world for 9 years. Today we come here to ask one question: Where exactly is Lawyer Gao Zhisheng right now?! In the eyes of a regime terrified of truth, defending the law became the ultimate crime. He endured long-term surveillance, house arrest, horrific torture, and ultimately enforced disappearance. Today we demand the Chinese authorities immediately disclose Gao Zhisheng's whereabouts and health condition, guarantee his basic human rights, and allow him to reunite with his family! Free Gao Zhisheng!"
IV. Conclusion and Three Major Demands The righteous calls at Dam Square demonstrate the unyielding resolve of overseas activists. Voice of Anti-CCP NL once again presents its firm demands to the Chinese Communist Party:
Immediately disclose Lawyer Gao Zhisheng's whereabouts and medical condition!
Unconditionally release Lawyer Gao Zhisheng, Zhang Yi, Zhang Zhan, Yu Wensheng, Xu Yan, Xu Zhiyong, Ding Jiaxi, and all unlawfully detained human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience!
Completely cease the systematic practice of enforced disappearances, state torture, and political persecution against human rights lawyers, dissidents, and ethnic minorities!
As long as Lawyer Gao Zhisheng remains deprived of his freedom, our resistance will not cease for a single day!
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