TRANSCRIPT:
In 1993 and 2014, I was arrested and sentenced twice by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] regime. VOA’s ongoing coverage of my cases generated widespread international support and became a vital source of strength — helping me preserve my dignity during the darkest times and sustain my long struggle for freedom of speech.
On August 26, 2024, Chinese authorities cut off my internet, landline and mobile phone service. At 80, I was trapped in Beijing, unable to book hospital appointments, shop online, pay by card, call a taxi or contact relatives. VOA’s timely reporting helped expose the severe and often unimaginable human rights abuses in China.
The CCP pours vast resources into state media, internet censorship and global propaganda. Shutting down VOA — a platform the CCP fears — is like severing America’s own arms and silencing its voice. It won’t strengthen the U.S., but will empower the CCP to spread information with even greater ease and impunity.
Published
Gao is a prominent Chinese dissident journalist who has been repeatedly imprisoned for her reporting. She wrote about the value of VOA in a court declaration on behalf of VOA employees suing the Trump administration over the shutdown of VOA.