Harry Wu
(1937-)

Chinese-American Human Rights Activist
1994 Martin Ennals Human Rights Award Winner

birthdate: ?
birthplace:
Shanghai, China

Harry Wu spent 19 years in the Laogai -- the Chinese Gulag system of forced labor prison camps, after he criticised the Chinese Communist Party as a young student. Since his release in 1979, he has dedicated his life to documenting and speaking out about the ongoing inhumane conditions of the Laogai system, where prisoners are beaten, tortured and starved to death. In 1994, this well-respected human rights activist received the very first Martin Ennals Human Rights Award. While on a fact-finding mission in 1995, he was arrested on the Chinese border and sentenced to 15 years in prison. After 66 days he was released and expelled from China, thanks to a global campaign by human rights organizations and world leaders on his behalf.

Kids | Youth | Adults | Calendar | Quotes | Heroes | Stories | The EMILY Fund | Scholarships
DO ONE THING and BetterWorld Kids Clubs are projects of The EMILY Fund (The Emily Silverstein Fund, Inc.)
Hero portraits are included for illustration purposes only - no celebrity endorsement implied

The Emily Fund
Education, Mentorship, Inspiration, Leadership, Youth
- for a Better
World

PO Box 430
Roosevelt, NJ 08555-0430
info@EmilyFund.org