Honor for Xu Zhangrun: Human Rights Prize despite surveillance in China!

Honor for Xu Zhangrun: Human Rights Prize despite surveillance in China!

The Human Rights Prize of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) was awarded this year to former professor Xu Zhangrun. He was unable to attend the awards ceremony in person on May 6, 2025 because he lives in Beijing under strict surveillance and is not allowed to leave the country. In his absence, Prof. Dr. Eva Pils gave the laudatory speech and praised the lawyer's enormous contributions to human rights.

Since 2022, the Human Rights Prize has been awarded every two years to international personalities who support human rights. Xu Zhangrun, born in October 1962, was particularly committed to democracy, academic freedom and freedom of expression and sharply criticized the autocratic conditions in China. His academic career is remarkable: until 2018, he was a professor of legal philosophy and constitutional law at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Academic Engagement and Pursuit

Xu Zhangrun is known for his profound elaborations and literary style. Since 2018, his work has led to widespread persecution, showing how dangerous it can be to publicly express criticism in China. His essays and publications, which address topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the political responsibility of government, have attracted national and international attention. Particularly controversial was his essay “Imminent Fears, Immediate Hopes,” in which he criticized the political changes under Xi Jinping, including the abolition of term limits. This document sparked public debate and sparked mixed reactions regarding Xu Zhangrun's safety.

His detention in July 2020, which put him in prison for a week, was seen as retaliation for his critical statements about the Chinese government. Despite his release status, he continues to live under surveillance. After his release, he was dismissed from Tsinghua University and has since struggled to receive financial support. Intellectuals and human rights activists at home and abroad have advocated for his release, but without bringing about much change.

A symbol of resistance

The awarding of the Human Rights Prize is not only an honor for Xu Zhangrun, but also an important signal in the current discourse on human rights in China. FAU Vice President Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch symbolically placed the prize on the winner's empty chair, which illustrates the absurdity of his situation. After the Chinese authorities banned him from leaving Beijing, Xu Zhangrun finds himself in an isolated and monitored living situation not atypical for many other dissidents in China.

The current surveillance and control situation in China, possibly reinforced by the controversial social credit system, significantly restricts personal freedom. This measure is often perceived as a metaphor for cyber dystopias, but the reality is more diverse and complex than simple depictions suggest. The monitoring system operates far beyond an individual point system, which is actually rarely documented in the way it is often reported in Western media.

The award ceremony in the hall of the Research Center Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nuremberg (CHREN) highlights how important it is to raise your voice for human rights, especially in times when such voices are under great threat. The international community has increasingly highlighted cases like Xu Zhangrun's in recent years and called for more support for human rights defenders in authoritarian regimes.

Xu Zhangrun's work continues to find its way into international discourse - his current works are translated into French and continue to be quoted worldwide, while he suffers from severe restrictions in his homeland.

For Xu Zhangrun, the fight for human rights in China and freedom of expression remains a tireless effort that does not lose its intensity despite the personal dangers.