Civil Society

To Myself of September 28

[English Translation by HRIC] Dear Kitty Ho of September 28, If I told you how I’ve spent this past month and what I’ve heard, you would tell me I am a liar. . . . Ever since you were little, you’ve been scared of crowds and death. That was why you didn’t try to get into Admiralty in Central, but...

January 28, 2015

China Rights Forum

Citizen Activism

Hong Kongers Call for Democracy & Universal Suffrage, 2014

Hong Kongers Call for Universal Suffrage and Judicial Independence, June-July 2014 (videos & photos)

Lawyers' March for Judicial Independence, June 27, 2014

A statement in the white paper requiring judges to be patriotic also prompted a strong reaction from Hong Kong’s legal community. On June 27, 2014, more than 1,000 Hong Kong lawyers—as many as 1,800 by some estimates—marched to protest what they saw as Beijing’s interference in Hong Kong’s judicial independence.

From Stability Maintenance and Control to Wiping Out

[Translation by Human Rights in China] The ongoing nationwide crackdown of activists in China has brought bad news every day. Within three weeks, more than 60 intellectuals and rights defenders have been detained. Among them are rights protection lawyers Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强), Liu Shihui (刘士辉), Tang...

July 25, 2014

China Rights Forum

Arbitrary Detention

Hou Xin

Can Lawyers Build a Legal Complex for the Rule of Law in China?

Weiquan— rights defense—lawyering had two defining characteristics prior to the 2010-2011 crackdown on lawyers and civil society activists. First, weiquan lawyers were high-profile in their style of lawyering and did not shy away from political issues. They courageously accepted cases that other...

July 25, 2014

China Rights Forum

Civil Society

A Citizen Who Attacks the Order of a System of Slavery is Innocent—Ding Jiaxi’s First Instance Trial Defense Statement

In this statement , also written for public dissemination, Ding Jiaxi's lawyer Sui Muqing (隋牧青) likens China to a system of slavery: “When people's words and deeds are constantly shackled and constrained by all kinds of unspoken rules and fears, when their words and deeds are faulted at every turn...

April 16, 2014

Citizens' Square

Asset Transparency

Ding Jiaxi

International Human Rights Award Honors Cao Shunli

An international jury of ten prominent human rights organizations has selected the late Cao Shunli ( 曹顺利 ) as one of three finalists for the 2014 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders . The award recognizes defenders who have shown deep commitment to human rights in the face of great...

April 23, 2014

Press Work

Civil Society

Cao Shunli

Lawyer’s Request to Present 75 Witnesses to Testify at Open Hearing

On appeal of his first-instance verdict and four-year prison sentence, Xu Zhiyong requested that the second instance trial conducted in an open court, and that all witnesses who originally submitted written testimonies be allowed to testify in-person in court. This is a request, submitted by one of...

April 3, 2014

Citizens' Square

Asset Transparency

Xu Zhiyong

Freedom of Speech Is the Starting Point for Civil Society and Good Governance--Defense Argument for Dr. Xu Zhiyong’s second instance trial

In this argument submitted to the Beijing Municipal People’s High Court, Xu Zhiyong’s second instance trial defense lawyer, Liu Shuqing (刘书庆), raised three issues: the facts of the first instance trial were unclear; the first and second instance trials had major procedural flaws; and the importance...

April 7, 2014

Citizens' Square

New Citizens Movement

Xu Zhiyong

Excerpt from Ding Jiaxi’s Final Statement

Ding Jiaxi was tried on April 8-9, 2014, for “gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place,” in connection with his participation in citizen actions calling for disclosure of officials’ assets as a way to fight corruption since 2012. The trial concluded on April 9 without a verdict. Ding’s...

April 9, 2014

Citizens' Square