Ten Years After the 709 Crackdown: Symposium on Rule of Law & Religious Freedom under Xi Jinping
On July 8, 2024, the Center for Human Rights at The Catholic University of America participated in a Capitol Hill symposium hosted by ChinaAid and Shining Light Media. Pictured at the event, above, are Guangcheng with Commissioners of the International Religious Freedom Commission, Tony Perkins and Maureen Ferguson. The event marked the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s 709 Crackdown, a coordinated campaign launched on July 9, 2015, to silence human rights lawyers and legal advocates across China. Professor William Saunders, Director of the Center for Human Rights, and Distinguished Fellow Chen Guangcheng represented the Center in the day’s first panel, which focused on the CCP’s assault on legal institutions. They joined a distinguished group of speakers including Ambassador
Chen Guangcheng: Commemorating Tiananmen and Considering the End of CCP Rule
On June 4, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sent tanks and machine guns into the streets of Beijing to massacre students and citizens who had gathered peacefully to call for an end to official corruption and profiteering. They demanded constitutional government, democracy, and freedom. Thirty-six years have passed since that horrific crackdown on the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement.
And yet, the people living under CCP rule still seem to be caught in a kind of curse—struggling beneath the weight of tyranny, unable to break free from the chains of authoritarianism.
US-China Tariff Wars and Its Impact on China
On April 2, “Liberation Day,” the U.S. imposed different reciprocal tariffs on all countries around the globe. China was hit with a 34% tariff to offset trade deficits and an additional 20% aimed at fentanyl-related imports, totaling a 54% tariff. More than 100 countries expressed their willingness to negotiate one-on-one with the U.S. on tariffs and trade (Just yesterday, the UK successfully concluded its own tariff agreement with the U.S.), but only one country, China, chose to retaliate against the U.S. with elevated tariffs. On April 9, the U.S. postponed global tariffs for 90 days for all countries except for China, whose tariffs were escalated to 145% in re-retaliation.
William Saunders Speaks at CUA Event Featuring Ukrainian Wounded Warrior
On April 29, 2025, The Catholic University of America’s Bishop Basil H. Losten Center for Ukrainian Church Studies hosted a powerful and deeply moving event titled “Andrii Smolenskyi: A Ukrainian Wounded Warrior Speaks About Faith in the Midst of Russia’s War in Ukraine.” Held in the Caldwell Hall Auditorium, the evening featured remarks from Andrii Smolenskyi, followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A with a number of distinguished guests.
Smolenskyi, a Ukrainian military veteran who lost his sight and both hands during combat…
Is China a Threat to U.S. Democracy?
On April 1, 2025, The Catholic University of America welcomed Chen Guangcheng, Distinguished Fellow for Human Rights, to speak with Honors students on the pressing question: “Is China a Threat to U.S. Democracy?”
Drawing from his personal experiences as a human rights advocate who faced persecution under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chen provided a compelling analysis of the CCP’s strategies to undermine democratic institutions globally. He highlighted how the CCP employs economic leverage, technological infiltration, and propaganda to influence and destabilize democratic societies, including the United States.
Chen Guangcheng and CUA Join the 18th Annual VOC Roll Call of Nations
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.