Gao Zhisheng Predicts the End of the CPC

A photo of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng taken in April this year

Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng is still alive, but under house arrest and has been denied medical care since his release two years ago.

This was the latest news from his 23-year-old daughter, Grace Geng Ge. She was in Hong Kong to represent her father at the release of his book, Stand Up China 2017 -- China's Hope: What I Learned during Five Years as a Political Prisoner.

Geng introduced the book at the Legislative Council building where she met with Hong Kong lawmakers and the media.

Gao, 52, currently lives with his brother in a remove village in Shaanxi province, and can't even go beyond the courtyard of the home. And because the condition if his teeth are so bad, he can only eat liquid foods and has been denied access to a dentist.

His daughter Grace Geng Ge presents his book in Hong Kong

Geng, her mother and younger brother have lived in the United States, and she says she hasn't seen her father for seven years. Trying to communicate with him is difficult, and she said their last conversation was six weeks ago, when guards happened to stray from their post.

In 2011, Gao was jailed for "instigating subversion of the state" until 2014, and was in solitary confinement for three years, according to his manuscript that was smuggled out of the mainland.

He told AP he wrote the book, "to expose the truth and crimes of this regime".

"This book is my way of posing resistance," he said. "I wrote it secretly because I had to hide from the minders who watch me around the clock."

It details the physical torture he experienced, from having an electric baton held to his face, having to wear a blindfold when he went to the toilet, and one time when he was deprived of sleep and forced to stand; if his knees faltered they would be struck. When he showered, no less than six guards watched him, and he was not allowed to speak.

When Gao was finally released, his wife Geng He said he lost 23kg and could barely eat and talk.

Gao talks about his torture and predicts the end of the CPC

His book also talks about 2017, he says he received a message from God saying it will be the year the Communist Party's rule over China will end. The book also outlines a plan to build a democratic China after the party's collapse.

When he was released two years ago, Gao chose not to be reunited with his family, believing that China needed him.

"At the very beginning, I did not totally understand. I wondered why our father couldn't be with us," Grace Geng Ge said as she sobbed with emotion.

"But... after some time, I came to think of his decision as truly great. He loves the Chinese people so much that he put his family in second place. I think that what he thinks is very, very great, so I am very proud of it."

She added her father was prepared for possible retaliation after the publication of his book.

"He is ready physically and mentally," his daughter said. "And he told us: 'I hope you can be ready'."

His book is being published in Taiwan, but as of yet hasn't found a distributor in Hong Kong, following the incident of the five missing booksellers and concerns of self-censorship.

We shall see if Gao is right about his prediction of the CPC. Many, like Gordon Chang, have been predicting the demise of the party for the past 10 years.

Will next year be the one?

In the meantime, Gao's selflessness shows that everything he does is for the good of the country. He was upholding rule of law when he defended the likes of the Falun Gong and fought for farmers' land rights.

And now he remains in China, waiting patiently for a democratic China to blossom. We hope he is right.