Professor Xu Zhangrun receives Human Rights Award
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) honors Chinese legal scholar
Xu Zhangrun, formerly a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, is this year’s recipient of the Human Rights Award from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). The award has been presented every two years since 2022 to international researchers who have made significant contributions to human rights. For many years, Xu Zhangrun has advocated for democracy, academic freedom, and freedom of expression in his scholarly work, and has opposed autocratic injustice in China. FAU Vice President Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch symbolically placed the award on the empty chair of the laureate, who lives under strict surveillance in Beijing and is not allowed to leave the country.
“Throughout his academic career, Professor Xu has taught and researched aspects of constitutional law and constitutionalism, human rights and the rule of law, as well as Chinese and Western intellectual history,” praised Prof. Dr. Eva Pils, the laudator, Humboldt Professor, and board member of the Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (CHREN) at FAU. “His works are characterized by a distinctive literary style that draws on historical comparisons and does not shy away from robust and direct political criticism of the system and individual leaders. For this, he has received much admiration.” He has been a role model for other scholars and students in China and beyond, she continued. “His publications in recent years, especially since 2018, have led to massive persecution precisely because they had a significant impact on public discourse in Chinese society up to that point,” Pils noted.
Prof. Dr. Heiner Bielefeldt, Senior Professor for Human Rights at the Institute of Political Science at FAU and former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, also emphasized the importance of Xu Zhangrun’s work for human rights: “Even as we honor Xu Zhangrun with the Human Rights Award, it is us who are honored to benefit from his work: His courage can be an inspiration for us.”
Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch, Vice President People at FAU, symbolically placed the award on the empty chair: Xu Zhangrun lives under house arrest in Beijing and could not personally accept the award. “We would have liked to honor this significant scholar in person and foster academic exchange,” said Hirsch. “I thank Professor Xu for his commitment and place this year’s Human Rights Award on this empty chair in the hope that Professor Xu may soon be able to collect it.”
About the Laureate Xu Zhangrun
Professor Xu Zhangrun, born in 1962, was a professor of legal philosophy and constitutional law at Tsinghua University in Beijing until 2018. In 2002, he received the university’s highest research award.
Xu Zhangrun holds a BA from the Southwestern University of Politics and Law, a Master’s degree from the China University of Political Science and Law, and a PhD in legal philosophy and legal history from the University of Melbourne (awarded in 2000).
After returning from Australia to Beijing, he took a position as an associate professor at Tsinghua University and rose through the ranks, also taking on the leadership of the Tsinghua University Center for Rule of Law and Human Rights Research. He was also a member of the Unirule Institute, a liberal think tank for economics and politics based in Beijing, which was closed in July 2018.
He currently lives on the outskirts of Beijing under strict surveillance, which lacks any legal basis. He is not allowed to leave the city without permission. Although he was officially retired, he receives neither a pension nor social assistance. He was also evicted from his former university residence and is completely isolated due to the intimidation of colleagues and students.
Some of Professor Xu’s recent works are available in translation by Professor Geremie Barmé on the China Heritage website, including his essay “Imminent fears, immediate hopes,” which was published online in 2018, attracted significant attention, and led to increased persecution, as well as his essay “Viral alarm: When fury overcomes fear,” published online in 2020.
His current work, “Against morality and reason: Outlines of a theory of legal injustice,” is currently being translated and published in French by Gallimard, after a Chinese publication project was halted due to censorship.
Further information:
FAU Press Office
Phone: + 49 9131 85 70229
presse@fau.de