Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) on Sept. 11 introduced a bill aimed at freeing political prisoners in China and Hong Kong.
“Advocating for political prisoners abroad is not just a moral obligation—it is central to America’s national interests,” Smith said in a statement.
Smith, cochair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has a substantial human rights record, including chairing more than 100 hearings on human rights abuses committed in China under the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“The competition between the United States and the CCP is, in essence, a contest between freedom and repression,” he stated.
“If we hope to shape a world that respects human dignity and the rule of law, we must stand with those in China and Hong Kong who are peacefully fighting for these values.”
The Freedom for Gao Zhisheng Act is named after the Chinese human rights lawyer who went missing in August 2017. Gao was a devout Christian and self-taught lawyer who defended farmers whose land had been seized by the Chinese regime, families who lost loved ones in mining accidents, and Falun Gong practitioners who had been persecuted by the CCP.
Gao was convicted of “inciting subversion of state power” in 2006, and after eight years in prison, was subjected to house arrest until he disappeared. His wife, Geng He, fled to the United States in 2009 and has been advocating on behalf of Gao.
Political prisoners such as Gao and Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong media magnate and pro-democracy advocate, cannot be left out of negotiations with the CCP, Smith said.
On Sept. 9, Smith joined Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, to call on President Donald Trump to advocate for Lai’s release.
“I’m going to be bringing it up—I’ve already brought it up—and I’m going to do everything I can to save him,” Trump said in August in an interview with Fox News Radio.
Lai was among those who protested against the Beijing-imposed national security law in Hong Kong, crafted to silence dissent and criticism of the CCP. Lai was arrested under that same law.
He was imprisoned in 2020, and the trial that began in 2023 has been dragged out, according to Lai’s son, throughout which Lai has been kept in poor conditions. Lai, 77, has diabetes and has been kept in solitary confinement for five years, deprived of natural light.
“Gao Zhisheng, Jimmy Lai, and countless others have been unjustly imprisoned for doing what every American takes for granted—speaking freely, defending the vulnerable, practicing their faith, and advocating for justice,” Smith said.
“Experience has shown that sustained international advocacy can improve conditions for prisoners, shorten sentences, and even lead to releases. Congress and the United States at large must not allow these courageous individuals to be forgotten.”
Smith’s bill, HR 5303, would require a coordinated strategy to rescue political prisoners and human rights defenders detained by the CCP in China and Hong Kong.
It would combine tools, including the use of sanctions, while requiring such advocacy in all diplomatic encounters. It would also require a public advocacy component, mandating a comprehensive prisoner list and briefings to support congressional and executive advocacy, with a point person in the State Department for coordination between agencies and family advocates.
Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) are cosponsors of the bill.
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