Dear Reader,
Thank you for being here. As 2026 comes to a close, I am proud to look back on a year of sustained support for Chinese human rights. I hope that you, too, have found our Weekly Brief and our articles helpful and engaging. We could not do this work without you, our readers and our supporters. That is why I am asking you to make a year-end donation to Human Rights in China (HRIC). We have a clear mission and urgent work ahead, and we need committed individual supporters to sustain it.
Founded in March 1989, HRIC connects generations of Chinese people working for freedom, from the Tiananmen Mothers still demanding accountability to the young activists building civil society today. We bring the voices of prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders to international attention, while helping a new generation document rights abuses, organize, and protect themselves.
This work is practical. We have trained citizen journalists to report from and about China, countering censorship and bringing otherwise suppressed stories to public attention. Beyond reporting, we provide direct support and training to human rights defenders in need. Through our summer internships, we train future leaders of activism for democracy and human rights in China, and hold events at universities around the world, bringing activists, journalists, scholars, and students into conversation. Our Digital Rights Report examines censorship, surveillance, and the growing use of AI-powered repression. And we continue to publish the Tiananmen Mothers’ testimony and demands for truth and justice.
This past August, the Chinese government added HRIC to its sanctions list, a move we consider a direct response to the effectiveness of our work. We have also faced sustained cyberattacks. These pressures reinforce our determination to defend the space for independent Chinese voices, wherever they are.
Our immediate challenge is funding. We have cut costs and reduced salaries while keeping our work moving. Your donation will help sustain our advocacy for defenders, citizen journalism, digital-security work, and support for emerging activists.
Will you make a year-end contribution to HRIC?
I would deeply value your support.
Warm regards,
Fengsuo Zhou
Executive Director, Human Rights in China