“Where the hell is Peng Shuai?” – A periodic reminder (9/7/26)
About seven months ago, a redditor in r/tennis asked “Where the hell is Peng Shuai?” I don’t hang out on reddit, but the question showed up recently when I googled “Peng Shuai” to see if there was anything new online about her situation. An iconic photo of Peng was included in the post, with the troubling…
On Doing Small Things Towards Change – A Book Review
January 31, 2026 This essay was first published on the website China Change, which contains a number of translations and essays by and about imprisoned scholar and activist Xu Zhiyong––his work and thought focusing on democracy, human rights, and the Citizens Movement, among other topics. Professor Anthony Spires book, Everyday Democracy, is a compelling complement…
Unmasking the ‘Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter’ (10/9/2024)
Co-authored piece by Andréa Worden and Rana Siu Inboden in The Diplomat, 10/9/2024 Despite its name, this group, which includes many of the world’s most repressive regimes, is actually a coalition to undermine U.N. principles. https://thediplomat.com/2024/10/unmasking-the-group-of-friends-in-defense-of-the-united-nations-charter/
Human Rights
What does the 20th Party Congress Mean for Peng Shuai and the Future of the WTA in China?
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals will be played for the first time in Fort Worth, Texas, starting on Monday, October 31. The year-end tournament was among those the WTA relocated from China in the aftermath of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s (彭帅) sexual assault allegations against retired Chinese Communist Party official, Zhang Gaoli (张高丽), and her…
On this International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances – #FreePengShuai
“We must not stay silent” (Serena Williams via Twitter 11/18/21) August 30 is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. It also happens to be the second day of the 2022 US Open. Tennis fans and players, along with human rights supporters everywhere, should continue to ask “Where is Peng Shuai?” and call for her…
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Andréa J. Worden's Words 