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Wuhan University Center for Human Rights Research and Education
October 10,2014   By:CSHRS

The Center for Human Rights Research and Education at Wuhan University was established in January 2014. The establishment of the center benefited from historical tradition and efforts of earlier generations, as well as plentiful earlier results, construction of a solid platform and rational development planning.

I. History

Wuhan University has a long and glorious history of human rights education and research. The late Prof. Han Depei, an international private law expert, attracted wide attention with the article, “The ‘Rule of Law’ We Need,” published in Observation (issue 10, volume 1, 1946), after he returned from abroad. The article talked about legal protection for human rights. In 1979, Prof. He Huahui, a constitutional expert, published the article “On Human Rights,” which explained, with exceptional insight and valor, the intrinsic value of human rights and the significance of human rights to socialism. The article was compiled in the book Works of He Huahui, which was published in 2006 by Wuhan University Press. Teachers at Wuhan University Law School have published many books and papers on human rights, including Human Rights Theories and International Human Rights(Li Long and Wan Exiang, Wuhan University Press, 1992), International Human Rights Law (Wan Exiang and Guo Keqiang, Wuhan University Press, 1993), Human Rights Theories and Practice (Han Depei and Li Long, Wuhan University Press, 1994), and Comments on European Human Rights Court Trials (Wan Exiang, Hubei People’s Press, 1999).

Teachers and students at Wuhan University have always maintained a pragmatic and innovative spirit. They have energetically engaged in the work of protecting the fundamental rights of vulnerable groups and have pushed forward the realization of social equality and justice. In 1992, Wuhan University’sCenter for theProtection ofRights of the Needy was founded and was later renamed as the Wuhan UniversityCenter for Legal Aid. It was the first nongovernmental legal aid institution in China. Asa pioneer in legal aid, the center has accumulated rich experience in human rights protection.