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International Spotlight Lends Hope to Human Rights in China

Fifteen years after Tiananmen Square, human rights remain elusive in China. In 1989, in order to support the democracy movement and promote democratic reforms in China, a group of Chinese scholars established Human Rights in China in March 1989. The international human rights advocacy organization has since become one of the premier advocates for international human rights standards in China.

From its offices in New York and Hong Kong, Human Rights in China uses a multi-lateral approach to advance human rights. Its work includes raising public awareness of current issues; empowering those who peacefully promote human rights; conducting education, research and publication programs; and monitoring the Chinese government’s compliance with human rights instruments.

“We believe that our work has contributed significantly and effectively pressing for greater international scrutiny and accountability by the Chinese government and expanding the civil space within China ,” said Sharon Hom, HRIC executive director.

One of the methods that HRIC uses to promote human rights through education is the publication of its increasingly popular English quarterly journal, China Rights Forum. HRIC also sends a weekly Chinese language newsletter to 350,000 internet users in China and, publishes a monthly Chinese electronic human rights journal and educational materials . HRIC’s media work includes giving regular interviews on Radio Free Asia, issuing press releases and maintaining two websites (www.HRIChina.org and www.renyurenquan.org).

“Uncensored information is the most important tool in fighting China’s human rights abuses, and HRIC is making significant contributions to provide access to such information,” said Hom.

HRIC’s research includes extensive documentation of political prisoners in a continuously updated database. This critical monitoring of arbitrary arrests helps attract international attention and puts pressure on China to moderate its repression. HRIC regularly submits reports individuals cases to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which in 2002 and 2003 used HRIC research to determined that declare eight of the cases were indeed arbitrary detentions. as arbitrary. HRIC also publishes in-depth reports that track the Chinese government’s adherence to its international standards obligations in regards toto the areas of civil, political, economic, and social rights.

Playing an active role in the international community is another way Human Rights in China advances its mission. Representatives of HRIC have attended meetings such as the Fifth Ministerial of the World Trade Organization, the World Summit on Information Society, and the annual UN Commission on Human Rights. It also provides briefings to U.N. Special Rapporteurs, special Working Groups and policymakers. before their missions to the People’s Republic of China.

Louisa Coan Greve, National Endowment for Democracy senior program officer for Asia, believes that one of the biggest accomplishments of HRIC has been its ability to grow into a credible, well-known organization in such a short period of time due largely to its ability to present its research in a detailed, organized and meticulous fashion that is taken seriously by the international community and the media. According to Greve, Human Rights in China is considered as reliable as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as a source of accurate human rights information.

In a recent speech, “The Challenges of Covering China Today,” delivered by Robert L. Bernstein, the founder of Human Rights Watch and currently co-chair of the HRIC Board of Directors, Bernstein commented on the under-reporting by the press on human rights violations in China, but also mentioned that some NGOs and human rights organizations were doing extensive reporting about the ongoing situation.

“The best of them, like Human Rights in China and Human Rights Watch, have extremely high standards of proof before they go public with their information, and their findings have stood up against the most aggressive challenges from those they hold accountable. They have proven themselves over and over to be rock solid sources for journalists and policymakers around the world,” said Bernstein.

With the continuing number of human rights abuses still being committed in China today and the recent rejection no-action motion of on the U.S.’s draft resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Commission condemning China’s human rights record, organizations like Human Rights in China remain extremely important in the pursuit of improving civil human rights standards in China. As China becomes more prominent in the international community and as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing approach, HRIC continues to hope that such international attention may be the impetus for change in China.