Gao Zhisheng is considered to be one of the most prominent human rights lawyers in the People's Republic. As a lawyer, the confessing Christian had shown special commitment towards the religious freedom of the persecuted Christians and Falun Gong practitioners. For the lawyers in China, such commitment is especially risky, because the authorities often punish them by withdrawing the approval as a lawyer.

Gao Zhisheng went even further in his commitment towards religious freedom. Between 2004 and 2006, he wrote three open letters to the National People's Congress, demanding an end to the persecutions against Falun Gong. He also had a good reputation among impoverished peasants and petitioners, because he provided them with legal advice concerning their disputes with arbitrary party officials and the local administrative bodies. As he regularly helped destitute people with their disputes, he was also known as an "advocate of the poor".

In 2001, the Chinese Ministry of Justice had still honored Gao Zhisheng as one of China's top ten lawyers – but he was deprived of his license in August 2006, then arrested and charged for "undermining the public order". In December 2006, he was sentenced to three years in prison and five years probation. While in detention, the now 50-year-old lawyer was regularly tortured, although this is also prohibited under Chinese law.

Gao's eight-year prison sentence officially ended on August 7, 2014.

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