Professional Luncheon
Harry Wu,
Founder of Laogai Research Foundation

The speech and Q & A will be in English.

Inside the Chinese Gulag

As a student in Beijing in the late 1950s, Harry Wu spoke out against Soviet expansionism and angered the Chinese Communist Party -- to the extent that he spend 19 years in China's infamous "Laogai," or gulag, where, he says, starvation, torture and death are commonplace, and prisoners are executed so corrupt officials can sell their organs.

After moving to the United States following his release, he sought a quiet, peaceful life. But the thought of fellow prisoners -- the "heroes" of the Laogai camps, in his view -- lead him to devoting his life to exposing China's prison system. He risked his life by secretly returning to China to document the Laogai for CBS, BBC and others. He was captured on his fifth visit in 1995 and spent 66 days in captivity, sparking a massive worldwide appeal for his release.

Today, around 5 million people remain locked up in the Laogai. Public executions are frequent and Chinese officials are said to be involved in the export of products -- diesel engines, artificial flowers, sports merchandise, etc. -- produced by prisoners.

Wu heads the Laogai Research Foundation, which not only documents the conditions of the prison camps, but tracks broader human rights issues such as the one-child policy, religious freedom and Tibet.

Please join us for a remarkable look into one of the dark corners of a country that is becoming one of the world's most important economies.

MENU
Sandwich: Poached salmon, dill, cream cheese, tomato, cucumber, cress on baguette.
Hot plate: Herb marinated grilled chicken with roma tomato, sauteed mushrooms, parsley potatoes & thyme sauce.

Harry Wu, Founder of Laogai Research Foundation