Yahoo Will Give Millions To a Settlement Fund For Chinese Dissidents (technologyreview.com) 12
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: A lawsuit to hold Yahoo responsible for "willfully turning a blind eye" to the mismanagement of a human rights fund for Chinese dissidents was settled for $5.425 million last week, after an eight-year court battle. At least $3 million will go toward a new fund; settlement documents say it will "provide humanitarian assistance to persons in or from the [People's Republic of China] who have been imprisoned in the PRC for exercising their freedom of speech." This ends a long fight for accountability stemming from decisions by Yahoo, starting in the early 2000s, to turn over information on Chinese internet users to state security, leading to their imprisonment and torture. After the actions were exposed and the company was publicly chastised, Yahoo created the Yahoo Human Rights Fund (YHRF), endowed with $17.3 million, to support individuals imprisoned for exercising free speech rights online.
The Yahoo Human Rights Fund was intended to support imprisoned Chinese dissidents. Instead, a lawsuit alleges that only a small fraction of the money went to help former prisoners. But in the years that followed, its chosen nonprofit partner, the Laogai Research Foundation, badly mismanaged the fund, spending less than $650,000 -- or 4% -- on direct support for the dissidents. Most of the money was, instead, spent by the late Harry Wu, the politically connected former Chinese dissident who led Laogai, on his own projects and interests. A group of dissidents sued in 2017, naming not just Laogai and its leadership but also Yahoo and senior members from its leadership team during the time in question; at least one person from Yahoo always sat on YHRF's board and had oversight of its budget and activities.
The defendants -- which, in addition to Yahoo and Laogai, included the Impresa Legal Group, the law firm that worked with Laogai -- agreed to pay the six formerly imprisoned Chinese dissidents who filed the suit, with five of them slated to receive $50,000 each and the lead plaintiff receiving $55,000. The remainder, after legal fees and other expense reimbursements, will go toward a new fund to continue YHRF's original mission of supporting individuals in China imprisoned for their speech. The fund will be managed by a small nonprofit organization, Humanitarian China, founded in 2004 by three participants in the 1989 Chinese democracy movement. Humanitarian China has given away $2 million in cash assistance to Chinese dissidents and their families, funded primarily by individual donors.
The Yahoo Human Rights Fund was intended to support imprisoned Chinese dissidents. Instead, a lawsuit alleges that only a small fraction of the money went to help former prisoners. But in the years that followed, its chosen nonprofit partner, the Laogai Research Foundation, badly mismanaged the fund, spending less than $650,000 -- or 4% -- on direct support for the dissidents. Most of the money was, instead, spent by the late Harry Wu, the politically connected former Chinese dissident who led Laogai, on his own projects and interests. A group of dissidents sued in 2017, naming not just Laogai and its leadership but also Yahoo and senior members from its leadership team during the time in question; at least one person from Yahoo always sat on YHRF's board and had oversight of its budget and activities.
The defendants -- which, in addition to Yahoo and Laogai, included the Impresa Legal Group, the law firm that worked with Laogai -- agreed to pay the six formerly imprisoned Chinese dissidents who filed the suit, with five of them slated to receive $50,000 each and the lead plaintiff receiving $55,000. The remainder, after legal fees and other expense reimbursements, will go toward a new fund to continue YHRF's original mission of supporting individuals in China imprisoned for their speech. The fund will be managed by a small nonprofit organization, Humanitarian China, founded in 2004 by three participants in the 1989 Chinese democracy movement. Humanitarian China has given away $2 million in cash assistance to Chinese dissidents and their families, funded primarily by individual donors.
Laogai Research Foundation. (Score:1)
Ran by Harry Wu. The guy went to prison for petty crimes and fraud in China for a year or two back in the 80s. After release, he was allowed to move to LA where he worked cleaning dishes at a doughnut shop, etc. Found out he could make a lot of money producing anti-China propaganda, created the Laogai Research foundation soliciting millions in donations, became famous in the 90s testifying as an expert in Congress,etc.. In the end, committed fraud with millions of donation funds, and died a mysterious d
Re: (Score:2)
Oh wow. Angered the Chinese and the Americans.
Nope. (Score:3)
This ends a long fight for accountability stemming from decisions by Yahoo, starting in the early 2000s, to turn over information on Chinese internet users to state security, leading to their imprisonment and torture.
How much money did they spend fighting this lawsuit? I'm betting it's more than $17.3m.
Typical (Score:3, Insightful)
Like the American Red Cross, when they collected crazy amounts of money for Haiti and built...6 houses.
NGOs and charities are incredibly vulnerable to Pournelle's Iron Law.
Re:Typical (Score:4, Insightful)
That as a pilot project that helped them determine that building new homes was an inefficient way to use the money [redcross.org]. They helped tens of thousands of people with temporary homes, rental assistance, repairs to their damaged homes, etc. in addition to providing health services, water, sanitation and other necessities.
Re: (Score:1)
Whatever, Vladimir.
Re: (Score:1)
NGOs and charities are incredibly vulnerable to Pournelle's Iron Law.
Whatever, Vladimir.
Call a report about NGO and charity graft “Russian propaganda”.
Yep. That tracks. In the meantime, some of those exact same NGOs? Actually heavily funded by Vladimir.
For example, according to left’s own The Guardian, the former prime minister of Denmark, claimed “I have met allies who can report that Russia, as part of their sophisticated information and disinformation operations, engaged actively with so-called non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – environmental organizations
How does this work? (Score:1)
Would any country allow foreign charities to give money to people they had imprisoned?
Helping Chinese dissidents sounds like a good idea, but how can it work?
Re: (Score:2)
It was supposed to be for former political prisoners who'd somehow escaped/left China. But the guy running the "charity" was just a corrupt fuck who'd been imprisoned in China for committing fraud and was back to his old tricks.
Recipients will receive (Score:2)
Hypocrisy at best! (Score:2)
"give" ? (Score:2)
You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.