James D. Seymour

James D. Seymour's "field is Chinese politics, and his particular interests are human rights, ethnic minorities, labor issues, and the environment. He is the primary author of New Ghosts, Old Ghosts: Prisons and Labor Reform Camps in China (1998). Before coming to Columbia he taught at New York University, where he served as chairman of the Politics Department in Washington Square College.

"In December 2003 Dr. Seymour was personally thanked by President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lü for his advocacy of human rights in Taiwan. As a guest of the Taiwanese government, he was among others honored by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy in Taipei.

"During the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Seymour worked on behalf of political prisoners held under Taiwan 's martial law. On two occasions he was sent to the island by Amnesty International to appeal to the government to commute these prisoners' sentences. He was invited to appear at hearings held by the relevant committees of the U.S. Congress, where he testified about political repression in Taiwan . For most of the 1980s he was banned from the island.

"While in Taiwan, Dr. Seymour gave the keynote speech at a public forum marking International Human Rights Day (December 10). He credited the International Human Rights Covenants (enacted in 1976) and the work of human rights organizations since the 1970s—such as the London-based Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in New York —for the increased awareness and application of international human rights laws.

"Dr. Seymour has investigated and published articles about North Korean refugees in China. He is a director of China Labor Watch, an organization that advocates for workers' rights in the People's Republic." 


 * Editorial Review Board, Human Rights Quarterly
 * Research Scholar, Weatherhead East Asian Institute