Lawyers Committee to Honor Chinese Dissidents
and Zimbabwean Archbishop

Xu Wenli, Xu Jin and Archbishop Pius Ncube To Receive Awards
at LCHR’s 25th Anniversary Dinner;
Board Members Bernstein and Zabel Also To Be Honored

NEW YORK - The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights will honor Xu Wenli, the so-called “Godfather of Dissent” in China, his daughter Xu Jin, who helped advocate for his release from prison, and Archbishop Pius Ncube, an outspoken critic of the brutal tactics employed by the Zimbabwean government to stifle free speech, at its 2003 Human Rights Awards on Thursday, October 23.

The dinner, which is open to working press, will be held at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. A cocktail hour where the honorees will be available for interviews begins at 6 pm. The spoken program begins at 7:15 p.m. For credentials please call 212 845-5252.

One of two 2003 Human Rights Awards will be presented to Xu Wenli and his daughter Xu Jin at the dinner. Wenli, a leading advocate for democracy in China, spent much of the last 20 years in Chinese prisons - including long periods in solitary confinement - as a result of his attempts to spur China towards a multi-party political system. His daughter, Xu Jin, who was also targeted by Chinese authorities, worked tirelessly for her father’s release from prison. The Xu family was reunited last December when Xu Wenli was suddenly released from prison on medical grounds. With help from the Lawyers Committee and dedicated teams of pro bono attorneys, Xu Jin won political asylum in 2000 and Xu Wenli was granted asylum in February 2003.

Pius Ncube, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, and a leader of Zimbabwe’s embattled human rights movement will also receive a 2003 Human Rights Award at the dinner. As an outspoken critic of the Robert Mugabe government, the Archbishop has been slandered, and lives under constant threat to his personal safety. Despite this, the Archbishop continues to be a shining light in the fight for human rights - demanding that his government address the mounting food and economic crises and put an end to torture and rape.

In addition to the rights activists, two Manhattan-based attorneys will also receive commendations for their extraordinary service with the Lawyers Committee.

They are:

• Tom Bernstein, the President of LCHR since 1993 and a board member since 1983. Bernstein, a graduate of Yale Law School and the President and co-founder of Chelsea Piers, helped the Xus gain asylum in the United States when Xu Wenli was released from a Chinese prison; and
  
• Bill Zabel, Chairman of the LCHR Board since 2000 and a board member since 1986. Zabel, a partner and co-founder of Schulte, Roth and Zabel, is being honored for the active role he played in a number of human rights investigations overseas as well as his leadership in managing the board and the strategic direction of the organization.