April 20, 2024: 30th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

On April 20, 2024, The Catholic University of America hosted the 30th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The event began with a walk of remembrance, in which participants processed into the Pryzbylla student center from outside. Professor Robert Destro, Fellow at the Center for Human Rights, participated in a panel discussion, and Dr. William Saunders, Director of the Center for Human Rights, delivered remarks. Vice Provost for Global Studies Dr. Duilia F. de Mello was there to welcome the attendees, which included Honorable Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Rwanda, and the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda represented by Arthur Asiimwe, Deputy Chief of Mission. Click Here to View Photos.

February 7, 2024: Center for Human Rights Fellows Speak to Catholic U Honors Program

On February 7, Distinguished Fellow Chen Guangcheng and Director Dr. William Saunders spoke to Catholic University students at their Hitchhikers Guide to Culture speaker series. The event was hosted by the University Honors Program. They spoke about the threat the Chinese Communist Party poses not only to its own citizens, but to the United States as well, through its systematic abuse of human rights.

May 17, 2023: Chen Guangcheng Receives Honorary Degree from Institute of World Politics

Chen Guangcheng, Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Human Rights, received an honorary degree from the Institute of World Politics. He also delivered the commencement address for their graduating class. A video of this address may be found here.

March 25, 2023: Chinese Embassy Protest

On March 25, 2023, Center for Human Rights Fellow Chen Guangcheng was invited to attend an anti-Communist Party protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC. Guangcheng brought several other renowned human rights activists with him, including China Aid President Bob Fu and three women whose husbands are currently imprisoned by the Communist Party. The protest was organized by The Catholic University of America’s Young Americans for Freedom, and you can learn more about the event on our upcoming podcast episode! See Pictures Here!

December 9, 2022: Catholic University Screens "The Hong Konger"

"The Hong Konger" is a documentary by the Acton Institute. When Hong Kong’s basic freedoms come under attack, media tycoon Jimmy Lai finds himself in the crosshairs of the state and must choose between defending Hong Kong’s long-standing liberties, or his own freedom. The Catholic University of America's Institute for Human Ecology and Busch School of Business hosted a screening of the film, as well as a discussion of it with Wall Street Journal author Bill McGurn. Center for Human Rights Director Dr. William Saunders also delivered remarks. Read More about the Film Here!

November 21, 2022: M.A. in Human Rights Students Visit Victims of Communism Museum

Dr. William Saunders, Director of the Center for Human Rights, took his M.A. in Human Rights students to the Victims of Communism Museum. Students were led on a tour by Dr. Lee Edwards, Founder of the Victims of Communism Museum.

October 25, 2022: Annual Human Rights Lecture: Should Conscience be Your Guide?

Father Kevin Flannery, S.J., delivers the fifth annual Human Rights Lecture. In it he examines the concept of conscience and its basis in synderesis, looking especially at the works of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and Thomas More. Watch Here!

October 7, 2022: Communism and Human Freedom

Communism is perhaps the greatest threat humanity has ever faced. It has murdered more innocent people than any political system in history and has imprisoned millions more. In the last century, it threatened to engulf the world, but even today it controls the world's largest nation and threatens to spread. Dr. William Saunders, Director of The Catholic University of America's Center for Human Rights, and Dr. Lee Edwards, Founder of the Victims of Communism Museum, discuss the lessons we can learn from resistance to communism in the past in order to confront and defeat it in the present. Watch Here!

May 19, 2022: Tenth Anniversary of Cheng Guangcheng's Arrival in America

May 2022 marked the tenth anniversary of acclaimed human rights activist Chen Guangcheng's arrival in America. He and his supporters celebrated at The Catholic University of America. Several of them gave testimonials of how they helped facilitate his escape from China to America. View Pictures and Video Here!

April 27, 2022: The Inter-American Human Rights System: Challenges to Its Legitimacy and The Road Ahead

On the afternoon of April 26, The Catholic University of America’s Center for Human Rights and the Law School's Center for Law & the Human Person co-hosted a symposium entitled, The Inter-American Human Rights System: Challenges to Its Legitimacy and The Road Ahead. The event, which took place in Slowinski Courtroom, invited attendees to confront the questions of how to safeguard the legitimacy and authority of the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights to shape the understanding of human rights and freedoms in the Americas after its partial renewal this year. The program began with a brief introduction from William Saunders, Director of the Center for Human Rights, and a warm welcome from Elizabeth Kirk, Director of the Center for Law and the Human Person.  Read more here!

October 19, 2021: Annual Human Rights Lecture Ambassador Sam Brownback In Conversation With William Saunders On Human Rights And International Religious Freedom

In the Fourth Annual Human Rights Lecture, Ambassador Brownback discussed the challenges and opportunities for religious freedom with the William Saunders, Director of the Center and Program in Human Rights. Brownback served as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from February 2018 to January 2021. While a member of the Senate, he was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Ambassador Brownback currently serves as co-chair for the International Religious Freedom Summit and teaches that subject in CUA's Columbus School of Law. Watch Here!

October 15, 2020: Annual Human Rights Lecture: The Report of the Unalienable Human Rights Commission

Kenneth Anderson, Paolo Carozza, and Christopher Tollefsen, members of the Unalienable Rights Commission at the U.S. Department of State, join the IHE’s Director of the Program in Human Rights, William Saunders, J.D., for this conversation. Watch Here!

October 9, 2019: Thirty Years after Tiananmen Square: Human Rights in China Today

Guangcheng Chen, the “barefoot lawyer” who drew worldwide attention to forced abortion in China and who is a tireless advocate of the oppressed in China, will reflect upon developments since the Tiananmen Square protest was crushed by the Communist party. Has the situation deteriorated further? What can be done to protect human rights in China? After his presentation, he will discuss these issues in greater depth with William Saunders, JD, director of the IHE’s Program in Human Rights and director of the Center for Human Rights in the School of Arts and Sciences. After the discussion, the floor will be opened for Q&A. Watch Here!

September 25, 2018: A Conversation with Robert George: Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A Conversation with Robert George on the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 20 September 2018. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration marked the world’s determination to avoid a third world war by recognizing and protecting universal human rights. Among these rights, it recognized religious freedom as a vital human right. Please join Princeton’s McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Robert George, who served as Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and William Saunders, Director of the Program in Human Rights, Institute for Human Ecology, and of the Center for Human Rights, School of Arts & Sciences, as they reflect upon human rights and threats thereto in today’s turbulent times. Watch Here!