James Tager is the research director at PEN America. Tager previously worked with the International Commission of Jurists—Asia & Pacific Program, first as a Satter Human Rights Fellow and subsequently as an International Associate Legal Advisor. Before that, he was a 2013-2014 Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellow, researching civil society responses to the developing human rights framework within ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations). He has lived and worked in Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Tager holds a BA from Duke University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
The Tennessee expulsions echoed what happened when Hong Kong authorities, under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party, expelled six pro-democracy lawmakers.
