Xinjiang inside the Beltway

Indiana University's East Asian Studies Center presents a talk by Kara Abramson on issues such as human rights and law in Xinjiang.

Time: 7:00 pm
Date: September 14
Location: Maple Room

Ethnic riots in Urumchi recently put Xinjiang, China's largest and most restive ethnic autonomous region, in the news. How are issues of human rights and ethnic conflict in Xinjiang, home to the Uyghurs, a Turkic speaking Muslim minority nine million strong, being addressed in Washington? How do human rights issues in Xinjiang fit into the broader context of China’s human rights and rule of law movements, both in China and abroad? Are China’s growing number of human rights defenders addressing abuses in Xinjiang? Is there room to maneuver inside China for improved conditions? Is Xinjiang integrated into the China human rights movements or should it be a separate issue? Kara Abramson, of the Congressional-Executive committee on China addresses these issues that need to be on the radar for all who study Chinese law and human rights.

Ms. Kara Abramson is Advocacy Director at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which was created by Congress in October 2001 with the legislative mandate to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China. She has worked at the Commission since 2005 and focuses on the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, ethnic minority rights, and religious freedom in China, in addition to directing the Commission’s advocacy work. Ms. Abramson received an A.B. from Princeton University, where she studied pre-modern Japanese history, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she focused on international human rights law. In addition, she researched the Chinese legal system and taught U.S. law as a 2003-2004 Fulbright fellow to the Sichuan University Law School. Ms. Abramson has published on topics including the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Chinese legal education.