View a recorded video of this hearing.

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 will examine 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?

Panelists:

Jerome A. Cohen, Professor, New York University School of Law; Co-director, U.S.-Asia Law Institute; and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Joshua Rosenzweig, Senior Manager for Research and Hong Kong Operations, The Dui Hua Foundation

Wan Yanhai, Director of Beijing Aizhixing Institute, expert on HIV/AIDS, human rights and civil society in China

Sophie Richardson, Asia Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch

Statement of Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman, Congressional-Executive Commission on China

All CECC hearings are open to the public. No RSVP is necessary.

Click here to download a copy of the Commission's full 2009 Annual Report.

Visit the Commission's Web site at www.cecc.gov for analysis of recent developments and other resources related to the development of the rule of law and human rights in China.

A complete transcript of this CECC Hearing is available online in PDF and TEXT.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Chaired by Senator Byron Dorgan and Cochaired by Representative Sander Levin, consists of nine Senators, nine Members of the House of Representatives and five senior Presidential Administration officials. Its mandate is to monitor human rights, including worker rights and the development of the rule of law in China, as well as maintain a database of information on Chinese political prisoners. The Commission was formally established in 2000 as part of the legislation to grant China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) when China entered the World Trade Organization. For more information, visit the Commission's Web site, www.cecc.gov, and subscribe to the Commission's on-line newsletter.