CDT Bookshelf: Interview with Karla Simon
Karla Simon is one of the first scholars who broke ground in the field of civil society law. She...
Gongmeng
Billionaire Detained in Civil Society Crackdown
Police detained billionaire venture capitalist and outspoken civil society advocate Wang Gongquan...
Xu Zhiyong Formally Arrested
Lawyer and activist Xu Zhiyong has been formally arrested on charges of “assembling a crowd to...
Hua Ze: Misrule of Law
Hua Ze, a documentary filmmaker, has written an op-ed in the New York Times defending the work of...
Ai Weiwei Released on Bail; Xu Zhiyong Reportedly Detained
Xinhua reports that Ai Weiwei has been released on bail in recognition of his cooperative attitude and chronic illness: The Beijing police department said Wednesday that Ai Weiwei has been released on bail because of his good...
NGOs Tread Lightly on China’s Turf
Asia Times looks at the state of NGOs in China, in the wake of the shutdown of Gongmeng legal assistance group: It could be argued that Gongmeng was an isolated case of government interference in China’s NGOs, but a report...
Qian Gang: China’s Guerrilla Debate over “Illegal Organizations”
Being deemed an “illegal organization” in China can result in a quick shuttering of a group by authorities. Gongmeng (Open Constitution Initiative), Xu Zhiyong’s legal defense organization is a case in point....
Chinese Activists Released
From Reuters: A pioneering Chinese legal rights advocate, who had been detained for more than three weeks and accused of tax evasion, was released on Sunday but might still face prosecution, he and his lawyers said. Xu Zhiyong,...
Assistant To Pioneering Chinese Rights Lawyer ‘Disappears’
From guardian.co.uk: Almost no one in China has heard of Zhuang Lu, which is hardly surprising. Plainly dressed and introverted, the 27-year-old office assistant completed her mundane daily tasks – booking tickets, paying bills...
Xu Zhiyong Charged Amid Crackdown
The New York Times reports that Xu Zhiyong has been formally charged with tax evasion: Mr. Xu, 36, is a founder of the Open Constitution Initiative, known in Chinese as Gongmeng, a nonprofit group that often has taken on...
Open Constitution Intiative Not Allowed to Pay Fines
After being fined for allegedly violating tax laws, Xu Zhiyong’s Gongmeng (Open Constitution Initiative) has solicited donations from the public to pay the fines. However, authorities have frozen the organization’s...
Baby Milk Powder Victims Lose Legal Proxy
Global Times published a lengthy and largely sympathetic article looking at the legal charges against Xu Zhiyong’s Gongmeng (Open Constitution Initiative) group and the plight of NGOs in China today: What happened to the...
China Lawyer Who Fought Unfair Arrest is Arrested (Updated)
The Australian and the Los Angeles Times both report on the work of Xu Zhiyong and his recent arrest. From the L.A. Times: Xu’s law firm was one of the few in China willing to represent the parents of the nearly 300,000...
China Snares NGOs with Foreign Funding
The Christian Science Monitor writes about the recent crackdown on Gongmeng and Yirenping: Taken together, the raids appear part of a tightening of controls on critical voices in the run-up to Oct. 1, the 60th anniversary of the...
Xu Zhiyong: Featured in Mr. Fashion
While civil rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong is being held for tax evasion, he is featured in the August issue of the Beijing publication Mr. Fashion 《时尚先生》(the Chinese version of Esquire).* The theme of this issue is “Chinese...
Qian Gang: Reading Political Signs in the Fate of Gongmeng
Qian Gang, a former senior Chinese journalist and co-director of China Media Project of the Hong Kong University writes the following essay, translated by David Bandurski: I accept the argument for gradual political reform. The...
China Daily: Legal Help Group Told to Pack Up（With Video)
Reporting on the shuttering of a Beijing-based legal assistance group, Gongmeng (Open Constitution Initiative), this China Daily article, written by Zhu Zhe and Cui Xiaohuo, shows clear sympathy to the case by highlighting...
China Shuts Down Legal Center, Revokes Licenses
From AP: Beijing officials shut down a legal research center led by activist lawyers Friday, while China revoked the licenses of more than 50 lawyers, many known for their human rights cases. The moves appear to be a new...
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