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.
