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University Communications

American University Scholar Detained by Chinese Government to Speak at University of Richmond

March 14, 2002

Gao Zhan, the Chinese-born sociologist at American University who was detained by the Chinese government for more than five months last year, will speak on March 18 at the University of Richmond.

Her talk will begin at 7 p.m. in Keller Hall Reception Room. It is free and open to the public. Gao will explain why her ordeal reflects the "fundamental problems of the Chinese system and the peril of seeking truth in China."

Gao came to the United States in 1989 following the Chinese government's crackdown on the student pro-democracy movement in which she participated. While still a permanent U.S. resident, she visited relatives in China in February 2001 with her husband and her son, a U.S. citizen.

Held incommunicado for five months, she eventually was charged for "espionage" and sentenced to 10 years in prison on July 24. She was allowed to leave China on July 26, two days ahead of a scheduled trip to China by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.