“Help me find my husband!” pleads the wife of a Chinese human rights lawyer who has gone missing. She is now turning to US lawmakers for assistance in locating her beloved partner. Let’s join forces and bring this man home.

Imagine not knowing whether your loved one is alive or dead for over five years. That’s the reality for Geng He, whose husband, Gao Zhisheng, a renowned human rights lawyer, went missing from his home in China in August 2017. Gao had already been subjected to torture by Chinese police during his previous disappearances. Geng testified before a hearing held by a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 20, which marked Gao’s 59th birthday. The hearing was titled “China’s Political Prisoners: Where’s Gao Zhisheng?” to raise awareness of the fact that Gao’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Gao, a self-taught lawyer and a devoted Christian, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times. He began practicing law in 1996, defending victims of government land seizures; families of miners seeking compensation after their loved ones died in coal mining accidents; as well as persecuted Christians and adherents of Falun Gong.

Geng emphasized that Gao has not violated any of China’s laws but he is being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She implored the U.S. Congress to urge China to allow Gao to be put on a public trial and grant Gao’s family visitation rights. Geng also expressed her desire to see U.S. embassy officials in China to visit Gao.

Another witness at the hearing, Sophie Luo, pointed to Gao’s case, as well as the recent sentencings of her husband Ding Jiaxi and legal scholar Xu Zhiyong in China, to highlight what the Chinese regime really is. She urged members of Congress, the Biden administration, American companies, and civil societies not to work with Beijing, saying that doing so “is the only way to stop any more human rights abuses in China.”

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), chairman of the House subcommittee, said it was important to bring “renewed attention” to what’s happening in China. He named the Tibetans, Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners, and Christians as victims of China’s persecution. Bob Fu, president of Texas-based China Aid Association and another witness at the hearing, said the U.S. President, Vice President, and Secretary of State “should publicly meet with prisoners of conscience,” starting with Geng and Luo.

Forced organ harvesting, a state-sanctioned practice in China, was also discussed during the hearing. It’s time for the world to take notice and take action against these human rights abuses.