In Washington D.C., the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China heard expert reports on Tuesday about the Chinese regime’s increasing political suppression.

Senior manager for research at rights group Dui Hua Foundation, Joshua Rosenzweig says there were as many as fifteen hundred newly convicted political prisoners in 2009—that’s more than triple the number in 2004.

New York University Law Professor Jerome A. Cohen says not all political prisoners are incarcerated for political crimes.

[Jerome A. Cohen, New York University Law Professor]:
“Because they say that person was imprisoned for endangering state security, not for politics. But of course they just put the facts of politics into this very vague capsule called 'endangering state security', and they tell the court what to do.”

And for people who voice their opinions, Cohen says their legal cases are politicized by the Chinese regime.

[Jerome A. Cohen, New York University Law Professor]:
“Because the government doesn’t want people to voice their opinions, and once that happens, and then the people get in lawyers, the lawyers get involved, the cases are politicized, the lawyers are politicized. So many things become political.”

Asia advocacy director for rights advocate Human Rights Watch, Sophie Richardson believes until the Chinese regime can tolerate peaceful dissent, other countries cannot expect it to be transparent or stable.

[Sophie Richardson, Asia Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch]:
“In its vast relationship with China, the evermore arbitrary nature of political imprisonment should serve as a reminder that many of the U.S.’ other goals and interests—the rule of law, a predictable trade regime, the development of civil society, are at risk—so long as those in China who share those views are considered potential threats by the government.”

Cohen says current negotiations between the U.S and China on human rights have been, quote “unimpressive.” He and other panel experts are calling on the U.S. government to be tougher on the Chinese regime, by including higher rank officials in talks, and raising cases of specific prisoners.