John Kamm is an American businessman, Human Rights activist, and founder of The Dui Hua Foundation. He is credited with having helped over 400 religious and political prisoners in China.[1]
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In 1989, Kamm was vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He convinced the majority of its members to pass a resolution condemning the suppression of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, despite strong opposition from many who thought that the Chamber should not make political statements.[2]
The following year, he became president of the Chamber. During his one year tenure, he pressured Beijing to release people imprisoned for their participation in the Tian’anmen Square protests. Simultaneously, Kamm advocated the extension of China’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) trade status, arguing that engagement with China is a more effective tool than sanctions to improve the status of political detainees.[2]
"Whatever capital we might earn by fighting further sanctions, we will gladly spend in the effort to free all Chinese prisoners of conscience." [3]
(see also Dui Hua Foundation)
Kamm is the founder and executive director of the San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation (“dui hua” means “dialogue” in Chinese). The non-profit organization is dedicated to improving human rights in the United States and China through well-informed dialogues. Dui Hua maintains a database with information on 15,000 political prisoners.
Since founding Dui Hua in 1999, Kamm has spent the majority of his time working on behalf of Chinese prisoners of conscience, lobbying for better treatment or early release. Drawing from Dui Hua’s database, Kamm creates lists of political prisoners and presents these lists to Chinese officials.
The Chinese government’s responsiveness to these lists is due to Kamm and his foundation’s emphasis on dialogue rather than “naming and shaming.” However, at least part of Dui Hua’s success can be attributed to John Kamm’s specific history as a businessman. Chinese government officials view Kamm as a serious and respectful interlocutor because of the credit and connections he built up during his years in Hong Kong.[4]
"When I lobbied for MFN, I had no idea what the impact would be. The Chinese government was truly grateful. I was really surprised. Even to this day, Chinese officials tell me I will always be remembered for this. This is truly ironic when you consider what I say….I can criticize China very harshly because I did something they see as an act of friendship." [4]
A documentary film by Marie Louville, "The Prisoner of Lhasa," introduces the life of the Tibetan nun Ngawang Sangdrol and details how Kamm's work contributed to her release.[5]