Dui Hua Launches Twitter Feed

The Dui Hua Foundation is pleased to announce that we are now on Twitter. This new tool offers another way to follow Dui Hua's advocacy programs and activities and stay up-to-date on developments in human rights and rule of law in China and around the world. Visit us on Twitter here to keep close track of Dui Hua's advocacy work!

Executive Director Kamm Delivers Keynote Speech to Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Executive Director John Kamm delivered the keynote speech at a seminar in Rome on December 10th. The seminar, entitled "A Dialogue with China on The Rule of Law: Italy's Commitment and the Experience of The Dui Hua Foundation," was organized by The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department for Asia, Oceania, the Pacific and Antarctica, and took place on Human Rights Day.

The seminar opened with remarks from Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Stefania Craxi. Kamm's talk, "China's Dialogues on Human Rights and Rule of Law: Dui Hua's Experience," focused on the history and practice of human rights dialogues with China. Kamm highlighted issues of common concern for China and its dialogue partners, as well as points of tension. Two of Italy's leading experts on Chinese law, Profs. Sandro Schipani and Renzo Cavalieri, also gave presentations on the training of Chinese judges and trends in contemporary commercial Chinese law.

The event was attended by Ambassador Massimo Iannucci, the Director General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Asia, Oceania, Pacific and Antarctica, and Ambassador Sun Yuxi (孙玉玺), China's senior representative in Italy. The audience also included senior diplomats from more than a dozen countries, leading Italian jurists and diplomats and several Chinese students.

Chinese Ambassador Sun commended Kamm on his contributions to the field of international human rights, and stated that China looks forward to enhanced cooperation with Dui Hua.

Executive Director Kamm Speaks at Oberlin College

Executive Director John Kamm addressed a group of students and faculty at Oberlin College in Ohio. Kamm discussed his twenty-year history of human rights advocacy.

Dialogue Newsletter Looks at Resumption of Legal Experts Dialogue, Parole in US & Responses on June Fourth Prisoners

The cover story in the Fall 2009 issue of Dialogue discusses the impending resumption of the Legal Experts Dialogue, which US State Department officials and judges of China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) convened three times from 2003 to 2005. Dui Hua’s own inquiry to the SPC about access to sentence reduction and parole for “counterrevolutionary” prisoners spurred this high-level dialogue. Given information Dui Hua recently found in provincial-level parole regulations, this issue may be raised when the dialogue starts up again.

An article on the US parole system delves into both the history and the contemporary application of the practice. Parole policies vary widely between states, and California’s system is singled out for special analysis. An accompanying graph tracks the influence of determinate sentencing policies on parole releases since 1980.

The prisoner and research section focuses on recent official responses about June Fourth prisoners received by Dui Hua, information that has led us to reduce our estimate of individuals incarcerated for their actions during the spring of 1989. The new data bring Dui Hua and other observers that much closer to learning the fates of those still imprisoned for crimes committed during the pro-democracy demonstrations. Another piece reveals that clemency for prisoners was shown at the provincial level when the PRC celebrated its 60th anniversary. The paroles and sentence reductions issued in at least three provinces fell short of a national “special pardon” that many had hoped for, but these acts of clemency nonetheless allowed thousands of prisoners to return to free society and their families.

The foundation welcomes Mr. Michael McCune to the board of directors in News About Dui Hua, and runs down Executive Director John Kamm’s testimony on China’s human rights before the Congressional-Executive Committee on China in October and his visits with key contacts in Washington, DC. The news closes with other changes at the foundation: the move of the Hong Kong office and the departure of Flora Lee, a staff member who has been so valuable to Dui Hua’s development in many areas in the last two years.

Dialogue can be read as DIALOGUE.online. We welcome you to subscribe to our free quarterly newsletter (as an e-newsletter or print copy) and to become a “fan” of Dui Hua on Facebook.

Dui Hua Welcomes New Director Michael McCune

The Dui Hua Foundation is pleased to announce that Mr. Michael McCune has been elected to the Board of Directors, effective September 30, 2009.

Mr. McCune is Executive Vice President at The China Business Network (TCBN), an online media company that serves an audience of individuals engaged in China market activities. At TCBN, he oversees all community and content operations, as well as the performance of the company’s technology platform. In this capacity, he leads the development and execution of business strategies that create content and drive audience growth.

Prior to joining TCBN, Mr. McCune spent 16 years advising retailers and consumer product companies on channel management, interactive marketing, and consumer shopping behavior. He launched his first China venture in Shanghai in 1994 when he co-founded China Link Research, a company that specialized in custom and syndicated performance data on China’s retail sector.

Throughout his time in Shanghai, Mr. McCune served in various roles with the American Chamber of Commerce. Elected to the AmCham Board of Governors in 1999, he served for three consecutive terms—engineering the first public Corporate Social Responsibility initiative by AmCham while working with other chambers to host the first public fundraiser for a non-government organization.

Mr. McCune is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he studied Chinese language. He currently resides in Oakland, California.

“Michael McCune has been a great friend and supporter of Dui Hua, and I am thrilled to welcome him to the board of directors,” said Dui Hua Executive Director John Kamm. “Michael represents a new generation of business people with concern for human rights. His experience in China, interest in emerging technology, and abiding enthusiasm for our work are all welcome assets to Dui Hua’s board.”

John Kamm Testifies before Congressional-Executive Commission on China

On Wednesday, October 7, Executive Director John Kamm gave a testimony before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) at a hearing entitled, “Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China.” The CECC holds such hearings periodically to gather information for reporting to the US Congress and the President.

Kamm’s testimony focused on issues central to Dui Hua’s work and areas of criminal justice and human rights in China, including the availability of information on political prisoners, use of special pardons such as the proposed 60th anniversary special pardon, equal access to sentence reductions and parole, capital punishment, and juvenile justice.

For the official hearing record, Kamm submitted a written testimony, “Promise and Reality: Dui Hua’s Dialogue on Human Rights with the Chinese Government,” which can be read here.

John Kamm to Testify on China's Human Rights and Rule of Law before Congressional-Executive Commission on China on October 7

Executive Director John Kamm will be among the witnesses invited to testify before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) at a hearing entitled, “Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China.” Open to the public and press, the hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, in Washington, DC.

As stated in the CECC's hearing notice: “The Commission has asked a distinguished group of experts to assess the current state of criminal and civil rights defense, commercial rule of law, environmental enforcement, ethnic affairs, and political imprisonment in China. Witnesses will discuss the implications of developments in these areas for U.S. policy, offering recommendations on how the United States might best engage with the Chinese government through dialogue on human rights and rule of law issues.”

In addition to Kamm, witnesses will include Gardner Bovingdon of Indiana University, Donald C. Clarke of George Washington University Law School, and Elizabeth C. Economy of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s 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 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.