Harry Wu was a Chinese-American human rights activist who spent 19 years in Chinese labour camps. In 1995, he was arrested by the Chinese government for trying to enter the country with illegal documentation and was held for 66 days before being convicted of stealing state secrets. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was deported from China instead.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Name | Harry Wu |
Occupation | Human rights activist |
Nationality | Chinese-American |
Age | 79 |
Status | Deceased |
Imprisonment | 19 years in Chinese labor camps |
Charges | Being a "counterrevolutionary rightist" |
Organisation founded | Laogai Research Foundation |
Books | Laogai: The Chinese Gulag, Bitter Winds, Troublemaker, Thunderstorm in the Night |
What You'll Learn
Did Harry Wu break any US laws?
Harry Wu was a Chinese-American human rights activist who spent 19 years in Chinese labour camps. In 1995, he was arrested by the Chinese government for trying to enter the country with illegal documentation and was held for 66 days before being convicted of "stealing state secrets". He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was deported from China instead.
There is no indication that Harry Wu broke any US laws. However, he was critical of the US company Yahoo, which had disclosed the IP addresses of Chinese dissidents to the Chinese government, leading to their arrest and imprisonment. Wu helped the dissidents' relatives sue Yahoo, and a settlement was reached where Yahoo established a $17 million fund to compensate the dissidents.
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Did Harry Wu break any Chinese laws?
Harry Wu was a Chinese-American human rights activist who spent 19 years in Chinese labour camps. He was initially arrested in 1960 at the age of 23 and charged with being a "counterrevolutionary rightist". He was imprisoned for 19 years in 12 different camps, during which he was beaten, tortured, and nearly starved to death. He was released from his life sentence in 1979 following the death of Mao Zedong.
In 1995, Wu was arrested by the Chinese government for trying to enter the country with illegal documentation. He was held for 66 days before being convicted of "stealing state secrets" and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, he was immediately deported from China instead of serving his sentence.
While it is not entirely clear what specific Chinese laws Wu broke, his arrests and convictions suggest that he was in violation of Chinese laws related to counterrevolution, espionage, and state secrets.
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Did Harry Wu break any international laws?
Harry Wu was a Chinese-American human rights activist who spent 19 years in Chinese labour camps. In 1995, he was arrested by the Chinese government for trying to enter the country with illegal documentation. He was held for 66 days before being convicted of "stealing state secrets" and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, he was immediately deported from China, which he attributed to an international campaign launched on his behalf.
While it is not entirely clear which international laws Harry Wu may have broken, his conviction of "stealing state secrets" and subsequent deportation suggest that he may have violated Chinese laws related to espionage and national security. Additionally, his attempt to enter China with illegal documentation could be considered a violation of Chinese immigration laws.
It is important to note that there may be differing opinions on the legality of Wu's actions, as he was advocating for human rights and exposing human rights violations in China. Some may view his actions as justifiable given the nature of his work and the information he was trying to reveal.
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Did Harry Wu break any laws during his time in the Chinese labor camps?
Harry Wu was imprisoned for 19 years in 12 different Chinese labor camps. However, there is no indication that he broke any laws during his time there. In fact, Wu was sent to the camps because he was charged with being a "counterrevolutionary rightist". After his release, he went on to become a prominent human rights activist and founded the Laogai Research Foundation to shed light on China's forced-labor prison camp system.
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Did Harry Wu break any laws as a human rights activist?
Harry Wu was a Chinese-American human rights activist who spent 19 years in Chinese labor camps. In 1992, he founded the Laogai Research Foundation, a non-profit research and public education organisation, considered a leading source for information on China's labor camps.
In 1995, Wu was arrested by the Chinese government for trying to enter the country with illegal documentation. He was held for 66 days before being convicted of "stealing state secrets" and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, he was immediately deported from China, which he attributed to an international campaign launched on his behalf.
While it is unclear whether Wu broke any laws during his time as a human rights activist, his actions did provoke strong reactions from the Chinese government, resulting in his arrest and conviction. His activities included making several trips into China to gather evidence of the existence of labor camps, secretly recording images in photo and video, and posing as a businessman interested in using prison labor.
Wu's work as a human rights activist brought attention to China's human rights violations and led to international outcry. He was recognised for his efforts, receiving awards such as the Freedom Award from the Hungarian Freedom Fighters' Federation in 1991 and the Courage of Conscience Award in 1995.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Harry Wu was arrested in 1995 for entering China with illegal documentation. He was held by the Chinese government for 66 days before being convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, he was deported instead of serving his sentence.
Harry Wu was convicted of "stealing state secrets".
Harry Wu spent 19 years in Chinese labor camps. He was released in 1979 at the age of 42.
Harry Wu was accused of sexual assault and extortion, but these allegations were never proven.