Source description last updated: 28 December 2021
 
In brief: Human Rights in China (HRIC) is a Chinese NGO based in New York and Hong Kong and founded in 1989 to promote fundamental rights and freedoms and support human rights defenders and their families.
 
Coverage on ecoi.net:
Journals, books and reports.
Covered Quarterly on ecoi.net for China.
 
Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

The mission of Human Rights in China (HRIC) is to “[p]romote international human rights and advance the institutional protection of these rights in the People’s Republic of China.” (HRIC website: About us, undated)

“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 defence 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.” (HRIC website: About us, undated)
 
Funding:

Donations and grants by individuals or organisations – for instance: the National Endowment for Democracy granted 160.000 USD in 2012 (National Endowment for Democracy, undated, last accessed 25 January 2019) and the Open Society Institute sponsored a report in 2001 (HRIC: Promoting Human Rights in China, November 2001).

The Minority Rights Group International commissioned a report on minority communities in 2007 (HRIC: China: Minority Exclusion, Marginalization and Rising Tensions, February 2007)


 
Scope of reporting:
Geographic focus: China.
Thematic focus: Fundamental and human rights.
 
Methodology:

HRIC “[…] publications provide uncensored platforms for domestic voices pressing for reform, greater official accountability, and rule of law; inform the international community on critical human rights-related issues and developments inside China; deepen the public’s understanding of these issues and developments; and advance informed domestic and international discussions.” (HRIC website: HRIC Publications, undated)
 
For instance, a report on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and counter-terrorism published in 2011 was based on “normative documents and public statements of the SCO, including materials of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, in English, Chinese, or Russian; Chinese legal materials and official statements; UN Security Council materials, including reporting of the SCO member states to the Security Council pursuant to its counter-terrorism resolutions, and materials issued by the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate; UN General Assembly materials, including resolutions and deliberations; reporting, conclusions, and recommendations associated with international treaty body reviews of SCO member states; and reports of UN Special Rapporteurs.”
The report is also based on “interviews of government officials, NGOs, and asylum seekers conducted by staff of Human Rights in China and the International Federation for Human Rights during a June 2009 fact-finding mission to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to investigate the situation of asylum seekers and migrants; English, Chinese, and Russian media reports; and research and policy papers related to or regarding the SCO.” (HRIC: Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights: The Impact of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – A Human Rights in China Whitepaper, p. IX, March 2011)
 
Language(s) of publications:
Chinese and English.
 
Further reading / links:
He, Baogang: The Democratic Implications of Civil Society in China, 1997, p.89-91
https://books.google.at/books?id=FSi_DAAAQBAJ&pg=PR7&hl=de&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false

De Frouville, Olivier: "Domesticating civil society at the United Nations", Dupuy, Pierre-Marie & Vierucci, Luisa [eds.]: NGOs in International Law: Efficiency in Flexibility?, 2008, p.83-84
https://books.google.fr/books?id=VIJ1ewEP1NQC&pg=PA83&hl=de#v=onepage&q&f=false

Dumbaugh, Kerry: CRS Report for Congress: Ten Years in U.S.-China Policy; Interest Groupsand Their Influence, 1989-2000, 12 December 2000, pp. 7-10
https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL30768.html




All links accessed 28 December 2021.

Methodological note:

ecoi.net's source descriptions contain background information on an organisation’s mission & objective, funding and reporting methodology, as well as on how we cover the source. The descriptions were prepared after researching publicly accessible information within time constraints. Most information contained in a source description was taken from the source itself. The aim is to provide a brief introduction to the sources covered regularly, offering information on relevant aspects in one place in a systematic manner.