Video: Kamm Testifies before House Committee on Foreign Affairs

On November 3, 2011, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US House of Representatives held its first-ever hearing on the annual report of the Congressional Executive Commission on China. Dui Hua Executive Director John Kamm was among the handful of panelists testifying before the committee. Watch him explain how political prisoners face separate and unequal treatment in China's criminal justice system.

Testimony can be downloaded here (PDF).

Kamm Speaks at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights

On November 15, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will give a seminar on “Recent Developments in Human Rights in China and the draft Criminal Procedure Law” at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights in Oslo, Norway. The seminar, open to all, will be held at Auditorium 1, 1st Floor, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Cort Adelers Gate 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In August, China posted draft amendments to its Criminal Procedure Law (CPL). The draft has stimulated much debate, both inside China and by international commentators and organizations. Kamm will examine the draft CPL in the context of other human rights developments in China—including positive trends (e.g., development of a juvenile justice system), negative trends (e.g., enhanced police powers to impose residential surveillance), and those that cut both ways (e.g., increased use of bail as a control mechanism). Please register by sending an email to yi.wang@nchr.uio.no. Simple lunch, coffee and tea will be served during the break.

Kamm Speaks at US-Asia Law Institute

On November 10, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will be the principal guest at the weekly US-Asia Law Institute (USALI) lunch, an informal event closed to a group of about twenty people from the USALI group.

Kamm Speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations

On November 11, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will speak at a closed roundtable discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He will be introduced by Professor Jerome A. Cohen, senior fellow for Asia Studies at CFR and an eminent expert in Chinese law. Kamm’s talk, “At Risk: Treatment of Political Prisoners, Juvenile Offenders and Women Prisoners in China's Justice System,” will focus on the treatment of prisoners convicted of endangering state security, while also addressing the expanded areas of work in Dui Hua’s new mission.

Kamm Speaks at the Paul M. Montrone Seminar Series on Ethics at Columbia Business School

On November 10, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will speak at The Paul M. Montrone Seminar Series on Ethics, hosted by the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. The event, closed to around twenty students of the school, will be in the form of a roundtable dinner discussion, allowing for a deeper level of conversation.

Kamm Speaks at Westport Public Library

On November 8, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will speak at the Westport Public Library, Connecticut, on “US-China Relations in an Election Year.” 2012 will be a year of leadership transition—including the US presidential, Senate, and House elections, and China’s change in top Communist Party leadership. During this time of uncertainty, America’s focus on China’s trade, security, and human rights practices is bound to increase.

Kamm Speaks at Timothy Gelatt Dialogue at New York University School of Law

On November 7, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will take part in the Timothy A. Gelatt Dialogue, hosted by New York University School of Law’s US-Asia Law Institute. The event, open to the public, will run from 2:00 to 6:00p.m., with a reception following the dialogue. Professor Jerome A. Cohen, co-director of the US-Asia Law Institute and an eminent expert in Chinese law, will serve as moderator and commentator.

CPL Revision, Women Prisoners Featured in New Issue of Dialogue

In the fall issue of Dialogue, Dui Hua looks at China’s draft amended Criminal Procedure Law and finds evidence of a dual-track justice system that singles out political prisoners for separate and unequal treatment. Also discussed are the links between the Bangkok Rules and Chinese regulations addressing the role of domestic violence in crimes committed by women, confession as an obstacle to parole in the US and China, and a look back at counterrevolutionary cases.

Dui Hua News highlights our expanded mission to meet the needs of more at-risk detainees. It also summarizes Executive Director John Kamm's earlier trip to China and previews his upcoming trip to the East Coast and Europe.

Kamm Speaks at Cornell in Washington

On November 3, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will speak at Cornell in Washington to students of its China and Asia Pacific Studies class, taught by Professor Richard Bush, who is the Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at The Brookings Institution.

Kamm Testifies before House Committee on Foreign Affairs

On November 3, 2011, Executive Director John Kamm will give testimony before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. The open hearing, to be held at 10 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building, will focus on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s 2011 Annual Report. Kamm will present information on China’s political prisoners, and speak about China’s dual-track justice system, which singles out political prisoners for separate and unequal treatment.