Dui Hua Conducts Program Mission in Hong Kong, Beijing
In September, Dui Hua staff conducted outreach and advocacy in Hong Kong and Beijing. While in Hong Kong, Executive Director John Kamm and Senior Manager Joshua Rosenzweig spoke with academics, journalists, staff of the US consulate, human rights NGO representatives, and a ministry official from the Netherlands. They also met with staff of the Fu Tak Iam Foundation, which helped fund the US juvenile justice delegation that went to China in May. In addition, Kamm met with Dui Hua donors in the Special Administrative Region.
In Beijing, Kamm and Rosenzweig had discussions with journalists based in China’s capital, and representatives of embassies of Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and the United States. They met with Dan Wei of the Institute of Procuratorial Theory of China under the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and Judge Ma Dong of the Supreme People’s Court. Kamm also held meetings with officials from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
US Speaking Tour, UPR Representation Set for November
Two Dui Hua staff members will take to the road in the month of November. Executive Director John Kamm will travel to the US East Coast to give a series of talks about human rights in China, speaking at Harvard Law School, Williams College, Cornell in Washington, and the University of Virginia.
The talk at Harvard, to take place on November 8, is free and open to the public. Dui Hua supporters in the area are encouraged to attend. See Dui Hua News for further information on these events.
On November 5, Program Officer Tobias Smith will represent Dui Hua at the firs UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States in Geneva. In April, Dui Hua submitted recommendations on the US human rights record in the areas of parole, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, and use of the death penalty (see a summary of the submission in this issue and read the full text here).
As an NGO with Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Dui Hua is allowed to attend UPR sessions. In 2009, Senior Manager Joshua Rosenzweig attended China’s first UPR.
Dui Hua Sees Staff Change, Thanks Summer Interns, Volunteers
Lillian Sie, Dui Hua’s administrative and development assistant since 2008, handed over the reins to Sandy He in August while continuing to work with Dui Hua on a part-time basis. Lillian is now pursuing graduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley after two years of excellent work that helped to improve Dui Hua’s operations.
Sandy, our new administrative assistant, holds a B.A. in Business Management Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Originally from Guangzhou in southern China, Sandy previously volunteered for a non-profit that provides services to youth in San Francisco. Dui Hua is pleased to welcome Sandy to the team, and thanks Lillian for her contributions while wishing her the best in her studies.
In addition, Dui Hua extends special appreciation to the following interns and volunteers who assisted with several aspects of the foundation’s work over the summer: Angeline Chan and Rene Kamm, both based in the Hong Kong office, and Janis Foo and Janet Lam, who worked out of the San Francisco office.