Political Prisoners in China: Trends and Implications for U.S. Policy
Transcript (PDF) (Text)
Recent trials of scholars, activists, lawyers, and others in China have shined a spotlight on the Chinese government's use of detention and imprisonment to squelch dissent or advance government objectives. Witnesses examined whether political imprisonment is on the rise in China, and whether the profile of political prisoners in China today is changing compared to years past. How does the threat of political imprisonment affect the work of people and organizations who are engaged in human rights advocacy or who are involved in commercial activity in China, including U.S. citizens as well as citizens of China? What opportunities have Chinese citizens lost as a result of the chilling effects of political imprisonment? Should the U.S. government be more concerned about political imprisonment in China, and what implications does it have for U.S. policy?
View a recorded video of this hearing here.
Opening Statements
Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman
Witnesses
Mr. Jerome Cohen, Professor, New York University School of Law; Co-director, U.S.-Asia Law Institute; Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Mr. Joshua Rosenzweig, Senior Manager for Research and Hong Kong Operations, The Dui Hua Foundation
Mr. Wan Yanhai, Director of Beijing Aizhixing Institute; expert on HIV/AIDS, human rights and civil society in China
Dr. Sophie Richardson, Asia Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch