About Us

Human Rights in China (HRIC) is a Chinese non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in March 1989 by overseas Chinese students and scientists. We actively engage in case and policy advocacy, media and press work, and capacity building. Through our original publications and extensive translation work, HRIC provides bridges and uncensored platforms for diverse Chinese voices.

Our activities promote fundamental rights and freedoms and provide solidarity for rights defenders and their families by supporting citizens’ efforts to effectively communicate, as well as organize and participate in rights defense activities.

Through our media and advocacy work, we raise international awareness of and support for the diverse and expanding civil society activism in China. To accomplish these goals, we engage with a wide range of high-level authorities, including United Nations human rights bodies and national governments, as well as the business community and international media outlets.

With an international office in New York and a China office in Hong Kong, HRIC actively works on local, regional, and global platforms.

Staff

Our small and committed staff brings diverse expertise in Chinese and international human rights law, Chinese politics, language, and culture, as well as policy experience in the information and communications technologies (ICT) sector. Read about our senior staff below.

Sharon Hom, Executive Director and Professor of Law Emerita (CUNY School of Law), leads HRIC’s human rights and media advocacy, as well as strategic policy engagement with NGOs, governments, and multi-stakeholder initiatives. Sharon Hom taught law for 18 years, including training judges, lawyers, and law teachers at eight law schools in China over a 14-year period in the 1980s and 1990s. She was named one of the “50 Women to Watch” by the Wall Street Journal in 2007.

Gao Wenqian, Senior Policy Advisor and Editor-in-Chief of Chinese publications, was a senior researcher at the Research Center on Party Literature of the Communist Party of China, and a member of its Executive Committee. He has been a visiting scholar at Columbia University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Harvard University. He is the author of Zhou Enlai: The Last Perfect Revolutionary.

Mi Ling Tsui, Communications Director, was a documentary producer with 20 years of experience in U.S. network and public television. Many of her projects were China- and Asia-related, including Becoming American: The Chinese Experience, a three-part PBS Bill Moyers series on the history of Chinese in the U.S.

Board of Directors

William Bernstein, Chair, HRIC; Partner & Chairman of the Board, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Sharon Hom, Executive Director, HRIC; Professor of Law Emerita, School of Law, CUNY
Cheuk Kwan, Secretary, HRIC; Chairman, Toronto Association for Democracy in China
R. Scott Greathead, Treasurer, HRIC; Senior Counsel, Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University
Han Dongfang, Founder and Executive Director, China Labour Bulletin
Hu Ping, Veteran Democracy Activist & Political Commentator
Liu Qing, Veteran Democracy Activist & Political Commentator
Rochelle Korman, Esq. Of Counsel, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
Teng Biao, Chinese Rights Defense Lawyer and Legal Scholar

What We Do

Advocacy

HRIC’s advocacy work utilizes a combination of research, policy engagement, outreach and collaboration, and casework to support domestic Chinese civil society and advance international awareness of key cases and current issues in China.

Media

Through press work, news aggregation, and social and multimedia, HRIC contributes to international understanding of the complex challenges facing rights defenders in China. And with English translations of key documents and essays, we provide important bridges for Chinese voices and resources on domestic legal and policy developments.

Citizens’ Square

Citizens’ Square is a virtual Democracy Wall for individuals from China to share their stories online in personal narratives, open letters, statements, and case descriptions, and through photos, court documents, and videos.

HRIC Publications

HRIC’s publications include bilingual and Chinese-language journals and books and reports aimed at diverse readerships.

Resources

HRIC's resources are continuously developing, and include bilingual tools to promote information sharing, digital security awareness and best practices, local activism, and research on human rights-related issues.

Our Mission

Promote international human rights and advance the institutional protection of these rights in the People’s Republic of China.

Fellowship Opportunity for NYU Law graduates

HRIC is accepting applications for the 2022-2023 Robert L. Bernstein Fellowship in International Human Rights. Great opportunity for a JD or LLM seeking practical experience in international human rights work focused on mainland China and Hong Kong. Deadline: November 19, 2021.

See description and application guidelines.

Jobs and Internships

Applicants should be committed to HRIC's mission and interested in working in a friendly, high-energy, collaborative bilingual NGO that insists on the highest professional and public-interest standards. Currently available staff positions and information on internship opportunities can be found HERE.

HRIC in the Media

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In Memoriam

Robert L. Bernstein

1923-2019

Chair emeritus and beloved supporter of
Human Rights in China

With gratitude and in friendship
The staff of HRIC

In Memoriam

Robin Munro (1952-2021)

HRIC is deeply saddened by the passing of a great friend, scholar, and human rights and labor activist. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Robin’s family and colleagues. Robin enriched all the lives he touched with his fierce intelligence, generous spirit, and dry sense of humor. We will always remember him.

Read tributes:
China Labour Bulletin
Donald Clarke

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