Events
» Hearing: Release of the 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Published Yesterday
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC)
Hearing:
Release of the 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Tuesday, March 16
10 – 11:30 a.m.
B-318 Rayburn HOB
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on the State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for the reporting year 2009. The hearing is open to the media and the public.
The Country Reports were mandated by the U.S. Congress and are submitted annually by the U.S. State Department in compliance with sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act and section 504 of the Trade Act. Originally, the reports were mandated to only give a comprehensive assessment of the human rights situation in those countries which receive U.S. assistance, but have since been broadened to include all members of the United Nations.
Interested members of Congress will have the opportunity to discuss the report’s findings and the status of human rights around the world with Assistant Secretary Michael Posner, of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, the State Department office responsible for producing the reports.
We will welcome as expert witness:
· Assistant Secretary Michael Posner, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL)
If you have any questions, please contact Hans Hogrefe (Rep. McGovern) or Elizabeth Hoffman (Rep. Wolf) at 202-225-3599.
s/James P. McGovern, M.C. /s/Frank R. Wolf, M.C.
Co-Chair, TLHRC Co-Chair, TLHRC
» The Outlook for China
Published Yesterday
Thursday, March 18, 2010, 9:00 am — 11:00 am The Brookings Institution, Saul/Zilkha Rooms, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC After two years weathering several major internal and external events, The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has come through in remarkably strong condition. Since early 2008, China has dealt with challenges including the Wenchuan earthquake, the 2008 Olympic Games, unrest in Tibet and Xinjiang, and the global economic and financial crises. The Chinese government has also coped with a series of sensitive anniversaries, including the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. During this same period, China’s global role and stature have grown significantly, expanding the standing of the PRC beyond that of a regional player. This has created new expectations of China’s diplomacy in areas as diverse as climate change, nuclear proliferation and the restructuring of global financial institutions. As the 2010 National People’s Congress meeting concludes, the John L. Thornton China Center will host a March 18 panel to take stock of the major issues that lie ahead. What are the major items on the sociopolitical, economic, energy, and U.S.-China agendas? How are the key issues likely to play out? Senior Fellow Cheng Li, the China Center’s director of research, will provide introductory remarks and moderate this discussion.
After the program, panelists will take audience questions.
Introduction and Moderator Cheng Li
Senior Fellow and Director of Research
John L. Thornton China Center
The Brookings Institution
Panelists Barry P. Bosworth
Senior Fellow
The Brookings Institution Kenneth Lieberthal
Senior Fellow and Director
John L. Thornton China Center
The Brookings Institution Joanna Lewis
Assistant Professor
Georgetown University Anthony Saich
Daewoo Professor of International Affairs
Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
» REMEMBERING UYGHUR WOMEN DURING “BEIJING + 15” AND BEYOND
Published 03/8/2010
RALLY for Uyghur women’s rights during the 15-year review and appraisal being conducted at the
United Nations in NY in March 2010 of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (adopted at the Fourth Women’s Conference, Beijing, 1995).
Come to a RALLY to raise international awareness of the plight of the Uyghur people of East Turkestan (also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China), with a spotlight on the human rights violations to which the Chinese government specifically subjects Uyghur women and girls. These include: the widespread use of threats, intimidation, and deception to conscript primarily young Uyghur women and girls to participate in a labor transfer program to eastern China, where they face abusive and poor working and living conditions; and the subjection of Uyghur women to particularly intense religious repression, forced abortions and sterilizations, and blatant employment discrimination on the basis of both ethnicity and gender.
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Location: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza/Park, E. 47th Street and 1st Avenue, New York, NY (across the street from the United Nations)
Directions: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza/Park is walking distance from the Grand Central Terminal/subway station. Take the 4, 5, 6, or 7 trains to Grand Central or the Shuttle (S) to Grand Central from Times Square.
Organized by: The Uyghur American Association (www.uyghuramerican.org) and the International Uyghur Human Rights & Democracy Foundation (www.iuhrdf.org)
Background
From March 1-12, 2010, the UN Commission on the Status of Women will conduct a 15-year review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in September 1995. Fifteen years on, the host of that historic conference continues to blatantly violate the basic human rights of the Uyghur women of East Turkestan (also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), as well as of women all over China. China continues to show utter disregard for the principles espoused in the treatise that bears the name of its capital city – the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
In addition to being subjected to the intense and often brutal political, religious, and cultural repression to which Uyghurs in general are subjected at the hands of the Chinese government, Uyghur women are victimized by the Chinese government in ways that include the following. While the Chinese government recruits Han Chinese from other parts of the PRC to take jobs in East Turkestan, the authorities use intimidation, threats, and deception to recruit primarily young, marriage-age Uyghur women, as well as Uyghur girls, from predominantly Uyghur areas of East Turkestan, to participate in a labor transfer program to eastern China, where the participants are subjected to abusive and poor working and living conditions. Thousands of young Uyghur women and girls have been uprooted from their communities and families under this program and transferred to eastern China. Uyghur women in East Turkestan are subjected to intense and blatant discrimination in employment, both because they are Uyghur and because they are women.
Uyghur women are also the victims of the Chinese government’s coercive family planning policies,
including forced abortions and sterilizations.
Furthermore, against the backdrop of the authorities’ intense repression of all Uyghurs’ religious practice and independent expressions of ethnicity, the authorities have targeted specific repressive measures towards women, including the imposition of limits on women’s access to mosques and efforts by local governments in East Turkestan to prevent Uyghur women from wearing head scarves and to politically train or regulate the activities of Uyghur female religious figures (known as bu¨ wi in Uyghur).
For more information about the rally, please contact: Kathy Polias, United Nations Liaison for the
Uyghur American Association, Tel.: 347-285-6546, E-mail: kpolias@uyghuramerican.org.
» An Evaluation of 30-Years of the One-Child Policy in China
Published 11/6/2009
TLHRC Hearing Announcement An Evaluation of 30-Years of the One-Child Policy in China Wednesday, November 10 1 p.m.-4 p.m. 2318 Rayburn HOB This year marks the 30-year anniversary of China’s one-child-per-couple policy, which in some cases results in forced abortion or sterilization. The State Department’s 2008 Human Rights report states that, “[China’s] population control policy relied on education, propaganda, and economic incentives, as well as on more coercive measures.” The one-child policy has broader societal implications resulting in a disproportionate number of males per female born in China each year due to sex-selective abortions. To discuss these issues, we welcome as our witnesses:*** Toy Reid, Congressional-Executive Commission on China Reggie Littlejohn, Women’s Rights Without Frontiers Annie Jing Zhang, Women’s Rights in China
Nicholas Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute Rebiya Kadeer, Uyghur-American Association Harry Wu, Laogai Research Foundation
Jiang Tianyong, Beijing Global Law Firm A woman forced by Chinese government officials to undergo abortion may testify anonymously. ***Witness list is subject to change. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Hoffman at (202) 225-3599.
» "The Future of Uyghur-Han Relations in China: A Dialogue"
Published 11/6/2009
In conjunction with a special exhibition at the Laogai Museum "The Uyghur Experience: 60 Years under Communist Rule," NED, the Uyghur American Association, and Laogai Research Foundation are co-sponsoring a panel discussion examining the profound effects of the July 2009 violence in Urumchi on ethnic relations in China, and exploring potential ways forward for Uyghur-Han relations. Panelists: Nury Turkel is an attorney at a Washington law firm where he represents both U.S. and international aviation clients on matters involving federal administrative law, antitrust, government and congressional relations, as well as on commercial and aviation litigation matters. He has worked with a group of lawyers since 2005 to free Uyghur detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has traveled to Guantanamo several times to meet with Uyghur detainees. He is the immediate past president of the Uyghur American Association where he co-founded and directed the Uyghur Human Rights Project. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and given presentations at various academic and government institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania and the United States Military Academy. He has written policy-oriented editorials for The Wall Street Journal Asia and The National Review Online, and appeared in both domestic and international media including CNN, BBC, Fox News, NPR, and The Washington Post. He holds a JD and a MA in International Affairs from American University. He speaks Uyghur, Turkish, and Chinese. Dr. Sean R. Roberts is the Director of the International Development Studies program and an Associate Professor in the Practice of International Affairs at the George Washington University's Elliott School for International Affairs. He is an expert on the region of Central Asia with a particular focus on the Uyghur people. He has spent several years conducting research in Uyghur communities in both Central Asia and China and is the author of numerous articles and a documentary film on the Uyghurs of the Kazakhstan-China borderland. Dr. Roberts earned his Masters degree in Visual Anthropology and his Doctorate in Social Anthropology at the University of Southern California. He also frequently writes about Uyghurs on his blog (The Roberts Report on Central Asia and Kazakhstan, www.roberts-report.com) and is in the process of updating his dissertation about the Uyghurs of Kazakhstan for publication as a manuscript. Dr. David Dahai Yu is Editor of Beijing Spring. Dr. Yu grew up in Tianjin and graduated from Beijing University. As a college student, he took part in the competitive local elections of 1980. He co-founded the Chinese Economists Society (USA) and served as its first president (1985-86). He earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University and has taught at several U.S. colleges. He has been affiliated with Beijing Spring and its predecessor China Spring since 1989. The program will be moderated by Amy Reger, Researcher at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, and Louisa Greve, Vice President for Programs - Asia, Middle East/North Africa, Multiregional, at the National Endowment for Democracy. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to laogai@laogai.org by November 13. Please arrive 15 minutes early for registration. For questions or press inquiries, please contact Lindsey Purdy at 202-408-8300 or by email at
Lindsey@laogai.org. Laogai Research Foundation
National Endowment for Democracy
Uyghur American Association
» The Uyghur Experience: Sixty Years under Chinese Communist Rule
Published 11/3/2009
The Laogai Museum & Uyghur American Association are pleased to invite you to a reception to mark the opening of a new special exhibition
The Uyghur Experience: Sixty Years under Chinese Communist Rule Hosted by Rebiya Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress and Harry Wu, Founder and Executive Director of the Laogai Research Foundation On Thursday, November 12, 2009
from 5:00-6:30pm
at the Laogai Museum,
1109 M St NW, Washington DC, 20005 Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by November 10 to Lindsey Purdy at 202-408-8300 or laogai@laogai.org. For more information on the Laogai Research Foundation visit www.laogai.org. For more information on the Uyghur American Association visit www.uyghuramerican.org.
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» Resolving Religious and Ethnic Tension in the PRC: Time For A New Paradigm?
Published 10/5/2009
 | Cordially Invites You Resolving Religious and Ethnic Tension
in the PRC: Time For A New Paradigm?
Featuring
Rebiya KadeerExiled leader of the Uyghur People, and President, World Uyghur Congress Dr. Lee EdwardsAdjunct Professor of Politics, Catholic University of America,
and Chairman, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Thupten ThokmeyPresident, Chinese Tibetan Friendship Society, New York
Bob Fu
Christian Minister and President of China Aid
Dr. Yang Jianli
Fellow, Harvard University, and President, Initiatives for China
Hosted by
Walter Lohman
Director, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation
From Xinjiang to Tibet, ethnic and religious tensions continue to cloud the Chinese government's vision of a harmonious and stable society. Many see the CCP's policies toward religious freedom and ethnic diversity as more divisive than harmonizing. The Chinese government, on the other hand, blames external agitators in the West for the social unrest in China. The lack of progress toward resolving these tensions raises the question for all sides: Is it time for a new paradigm? On the eve of the 60th Anniversary of the PRC, the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Washington, DC, and coinciding with the opening of the Fifth Interethnic/Interfaith Leadership Conference, The Heritage Foundation presents a unique forum of intellectuals from Mainland China and representatives from the rainbow of ethnic and religious groups that comprise contemporary China who will give a "frontline" perspective on this question. Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The Heritage Foundation's Allison Auditorium
Refreshments Provided
RSVP online at http://www.Heritage.org/Press/Events/ or call (202) 675-1752. Terms and Conditions of Attendance are posted online at www.Heritage.org/Press/Events/Terms.cfm. All events can be viewed live at www.Heritage.org. News media inquiries, please call (202) 675-1761.
214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002 | (202) 546-4400 |
» Peaceful Rally in front of the White House against Chinese Crackdown
Published 07/25/2009
Speak out against the Chinese government’s brutal treatment of Uyghurs!The Uyghur American Association (UAA) will hold a rally opposite the White House in Lafayette Park (1608 H Street NW) from 12 noon until 5 p.m. on July 28. UAA calls upon all supporters to join them in condemning the Chinese government’s violent suppression of peaceful protestors in Urumchi on July 5. According to the Chinese government, 197 people were killed and 1,720 people were injured during the recent unrest. However, according to reports received by the Uyghur American Association, more than 1,000 Uyghurs were killed, and the number of injuries is much higher than 1,720. In addition, independent sources within East Turkestan, as well as the Financial Times newspaper, indicate that the number of Uyghurs arrested since July 5 is at least 4,000. The Chinese government continues to detain thousands of Uyghurs and is threatening to execute Uyghur protestors. Help us ask the U.S. government to condemn the executions of Uyghurs and to call upon the Chinese authorities to release Uyghur detainees who were arrested without just cause. UAA Board of Director Contact: UAA: 202-349-1496 202-349-4192 More information on Uyghurs and the recent violent suppression of Uyghur protestors is available at: www.uyghuramerican.orgwww.iuhrdf.org
» National Press Club Newsmaker with Rebiya Kadeer- Monday, July 20, at 3 p.m.
Published 07/16/2009
National Press Club Newsmaker with Rebiya Kadeer- Monday, July 20, at 3 p.m.
For immediate release
July 16, 2009, 1:15 pm EST
Contact: Uyghur American Association +1 (202) 349 1496
National Press Club “AFTERNOON NEWSMAKER”
News Conference
Monday, July 20, 2009, 3 p.m.
National Press Club (First Amendment Lounge)
President of the World Uyghur Congress and The Uyghur American Association
MS. REBIYA KADEER
will discuss
UNREST IN E. TURKESTAN: WHAT CHINA IS NOT TELLING THE MEDIA
Contacts
National Press Club: PETER HICKMAN
301/530-1210 (H&O/T&F), 202/662-7540 (Press Club), pjhickman at hotmail.com
Ms. Kadeer: HENRYK SZADZIEWSKI (Uyghur American Association)
202/349-1494 (Tel), 202/349-1491 (Fax), hszad at uhrp.org
» The Financial Crisis and the Changing Role of Workers in China
Published 06/18/2009
Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman and Representative Sander Levin, Cochairman of the
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China
invite you to a roundtable discussion on
“The Financial Crisis and the Changing Role of Workers in China”
Friday, June 19, 2009
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-318 At this CECC Roundtable, a panel of experts will discuss the impact of the current financial crisis on the lives and rights of workers in China. Panelists will also examine the changing role that workers, including migrant workers, are playing in shaping the future of economic, legal, and political reform in China. Panelists: Leslie T. Chang, Author of Factory Girls (Spiegel & Grau, 2008); former China correspondent, The Wall Street Journal Robin Munro, Research Director, China Labour Bulletin Erin Ennis, Vice President, US-China Business Council Earl Brown, Labor and Employment Law Counsel and China Program Director, Solidarity Center, AFL-CIO CECC Roundtables are open to the public. No RSVP is necessary.
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