On April 24, 2025, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) hosted its 18th annual Roll Call of Nations Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Victims of Communism Memorial on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The solemn observance brought together representatives from over a dozen embassies, delegations, and human rights organizations, and featured Professor Chen Guangcheng as the keynote speaker. Professor William L. Saunders, director of the Center for Human Rights at The Catholic University of America and an Academic Council member of VOC, also participated as part of the program .
Professor Guangcheng—recipient of VOC’s 2015 Truman‑Reagan Medal of Freedom—delivered a stirring keynote address reflecting on his legal activism in China against forced abortions and sterilizations, the suffering of the disabled, and his own persecution under the CCP. His story of resilience—having endured imprisonment, house arrest, and eventual escape to the United States—served as a powerful reminder of the price of conscience and the value of standing for freedom .
Professor Saunders’s presence helped bridge the ceremony’s themes with academic perspective. As a religious liberty and human rights scholar, his role emphasized the integration of moral and legal reflection—an essential complement to Professor Guangcheng’s lived testimony.
The wreath‑laying ceremony honored the memory of the more than 100 million people who lost their lives under communist regimes, celebrating liberty’s triumphs and reinforcing global solidarity against authoritarianism.
With Professor Guangcheng’s insights as its emotional core, the event underscored the enduring need to defend human dignity and amplify courageous voices—a mission central to both VOC and The Catholic University of America.