China Seminar | 9 March 2017

The Rights Defense Movement in China

TENG Biao

The Rights Defense Movement (Weiquan movement) is a non-centralized movement, which arose in China in early 2000s. A group of lawyers, activists, intellectuals and NGOs seek to defend civil rights and promote rule of law through litigation and legal activism. It was developed rapidly and thus was suppressed severely as it is seen as a big threat to China’s political system. China Seminar is very privileged to have this rare opportunity to invite Dr. TENG Biao to give us a talk on this movement. Dr. TENG Biao is an academic lawyer and a human rights activist. He was formerly a Lecturer in the China University of Political Science and Law, a visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and currently a visiting scholar at New York University and the Institute for Advanced Study. He co-founded “Open Constitution Initiative”, ”China Human Rights Accountability Center” and is also the Founder and President of the China Against the Death Penalty. His research interest includes human rights, criminal justice, constitutionalism, social movement and political transition in China.