# 119-hr-5303: FREEDOM for Gao Zhisheng and All Political Prisoners Act

119-hr-5303, FREEDOM for Gao Zhisheng and All Political Prisoners Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5303
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5303
- Congress: 119
- Title: FREEDOM for Gao Zhisheng and All Political Prisoners Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Creates a U.S.-wide framework to press for the release and protection of political prisoners, with a central focus on Gao Zhisheng.** It would tie diplomatic strategy, a public Global Political Prisoner Registry, targeted advocacy, and congressional briefings into a coordinated plan to document cases and push for accountability.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2025-09-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI), 2025-09-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Global prisoner registry and case briefs: benefit, low. If enacted, the current China-only registry would become a Global Political Prisoner Registry covering detainees worldwide. The State Department would share registry information for diplomatic advocacy while protecting sensitive details. The bill defines a political prisoner as someone jailed for e…
- State plan and briefings on prisoners: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary of State would brief Congress within 120 days on a plan to embed advocacy for political prisoners across all U.S. missions. The plan would cover cases, work with allies and the U.N., use of sanctions tools, public messaging, registry progress, and resource needs. Briefings…
- U.S. push to free political prisoners: benefit, low. If enacted, the U.S. government would use diplomacy, law, and sanctions to seek the release of political prisoners. It would prioritize cases like Gao Zhisheng and Jimmy Lai, and push to end PRC exit bans. It would work with allies and the United Nations to raise cases and document abuses. The gove…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-2082: WISH Act
- 119-hr-4830: Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-4829: Transnational Repression Policy Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5303 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5303)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-2082: WISH Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2082)
- [119-hr-4830: Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4830)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-4829: Transnational Repression Policy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4829)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5303 (as of 2026-04-21).