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 Nathan Sales, Professor Terence Halliday, attorney Piero Tozzi, and human rights advocate Sophie Luo. Opening remarks were delivered by Geng He and Patrick Harvey, and a moving video message was shared from a persecuted 709 lawyer currently suffering under government repression.
Congressman Chris Smith, a longtime champion of international religious freedom and human rights, offered special remarks, calling for a renewed and unified global response to the CCP’s systemic abuses. The second panel of the symposium addressed the state of religious freedom in China and featured notable voices such as U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Maureen Ferguson, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, China scholar Dr. Sophie Richardson, Uyghur advocate Zubayra Shamseden, and pro-democracy activist Frances Hui.
The Center’s presence at this event reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to defending human rights and religious liberty around the globe. Through ongoing collaboration with courageous advocates and international partners, the Center continues to raise awareness about the plight of the oppressed and to promote justice, dignity, and the rule of law in the face of tyranny.