Chicago, IL
Harry Wu was arrested on June 19, 1995, by the Chinese government and has since been charged with espionage. A survivor of 19 years in China's forced labor camps, known as the Laogai, Wu has dedicated his life to exposing the Chinese government's forced labor system.
Harry Wu has long campaigned for the freedom of others. It is our turn to campaign for his freedom.
At great personal risk, Wu has returned to China three times to document the human rights abuses in the Laogai. He is the world's most important voice for those he calls the "millions of faceless and nameless ordinary people" who are the victims of the Chinese government's violation of its citizens' most basic human rights.
Wu is a close friend of the AFL-CIO. In 1990, he prepared and the AFL-CIO published the first map of Laogai camp locations throughout China. The AFL-CIO Food and Allied Services Trades Department has given him its special Worker Award.
The AFL-CIO Executive Council calls upon President Clinton and Secretary of State Christopher to do everything in their power to obtain Harry Wu's immediate release. The Federation will take part in a nationwide campaign to free Wu and urges all affiliated unions to join with other groups in this grassroots effort.