Archive for March, 2012

Global Online Freedom Act passes House subcommittee, endorsed by LRF

Posted: March 30, 2012 in Laogai News
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H.R. 3605, called the Global Online Freedom Act, was approved by voice vote in the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4), and is now pending decision in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rep. Smith, a champion for human rights in China and a personal friend of Harry Wu, first introduced the bill in 2008. The Laogai Research Foundation has endorsed the bill with a letter, noting that all of its policies apply to China’s repressive stance on internet censorship. We hope that GOFA will pass the House of Representatives without obstruction - the freedom of ideas over the Internet is not contested by left or right.

Click here to read more.

Harry Speaks at University of Pennsylvania

Posted: March 20, 2012 in Events
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On March 19th, Laogai Research Foundation director Harry Wu had the opportunity to speak about human rights in China with students at the University of Pennsylvania. The lecture was part of the semester-long Center for East Asian Studies Colloquium Series, “China and International Human Rights , which is led by the Center’s Director, Professor Jacques deLisle. Dr. deLisle is also the Stephen A. Cozen Professor of Law and a professor of Political Science at University of Pennsylvania. This semester Dr. deLisle is teaching a law course in conjunction with the colloquium on China and International Human Rights. The seminars address Chinese approaches to human rights over the last few decades, bringing in guest speakers from NGOs, government, and academia, encouraging interdisciplinary discussion among students and professionals in the field.

In the afternoon, Harry Wu met with a small group of undergraduate students pursuing degrees in Chinese Studies and International Relations. Harry shared with them the harsh reality of the Laogai forced labor prison system, as well as other abuses committed by the Chinese government including the One Child Policy, crackdown on dissent, religious persecution, and organ harvesting from executed prisoners. The students were curious to know how these issues can be handled within the framework of U.S.-China relations, and were interested in how LRF works to raise awareness of these issues.

Later, during Professor deLisle’s China and International Human Rights the course, Harry told of his journey - from being locked up and forced to labor in the Laogai for 19 years, to finally becoming a free man in the U.S., to sneaking back into China to investigate the brutal prison system. He showed countless photographs taken from within prison walls, giving students a look at life inside forced labor camps. His lecture was followed by an open question and answer session, where students asked about his views on the current state of human rights in China, prospects for democratization and reform, attitudes within Chinese society, and the shortcomings of current U.S. China policy. For more information about the China and International Human Rights Colloquium, click here.

Harry Wu & Yu Jie protest at the White House against Xi Jinping

Posted: March 14, 2012 in Events, Laogai News
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Laogai Research Foundation director Harry Wu and his friend, recently exiled Chinese dissident Yu Jie (余杰), spent Valentine’s Day participating in a multiparty protest against Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s Washington visit.

Organized by Students for a Free Tibet, a coalition of Tibetan, Chinese, Uyghur, Taiwanese and human rights groups held a joint rally in support of freedom and democracy outside the White House, as Xi Jinping and President Obama met inside. Chinese groups included members of the China Democracy Party, practitioners of Falun Gong, and protesters against the One Child Policy and Chinese government land seizures. The staff of the Laogai Research Foundation stood alongside them, holding posters of Chinese dissidents currently imprisoned in the Laogai.

To watch Harry’s and Yu Jie’s speeches at the rally, and to read an interview with Yu Jie by Nippon Television, click here. You can also go directly to our Youtube channel!