China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS) is the largest national nongovernmental organization in the field of human rights in China. It is a member of the United Nations Conference of Non-government Organizations (CONGO), which obtains a special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is included in the World Directory of Human Rights Research and Training Institutions by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The principles of CSHRS are: studying the theories, history, and status of Chinese and overseas human rights; popularizing and publicizing human rights knowledge; engaging in international exchanges and cooperation; and promoting healthy development of China’s causes of human rights and that of the world as well.

CSHRS was founded in January 1993. The incumbent president is Mr. Luo Haocai. Vice presidents are: Mr. Wan Exiang, Mr. Ye Xiaowen, Mr. Li Junru, Mr. Chen Shiqiu and Mr. Dong Yunhu. Mr. Dong is concurrently the secretary-general. Mr. Zhu Muzhi is the honorary president.

The highest organ of authority to CSHRS is the National Council which convenes a national council meeting every five years. There are 166 members in the council who come from all the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China, except for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan Province.

CSHRS established the China Human Rights Net (www.humanrights.cn) in Chinese and English editions in 1998. It founded Human Rights magazine (bimonthly, in Chinese and English editions) in February 2002, and has been publishing regular research reports “China’s Human Rights in Action” and irregular “Yearbook of Human Rights in China”.

CSHRS has been actively organizing the research on human rights theories. It published Overview of World Human Rights Instruments and its continuation, China’s Human Rights in the New Century, “Enshrinement of Human Right in the Constitution” and Guarantee of Human Rights by Legal system, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Human Rights in China, Oriental Culture and Development of Human Rights, Human Rights and the Harmonious World, Guarantee of Human Rights in China’s Prisons, On Human Rights and Sovereignty, and so on. CSHRS organized the translation and publication of many foreign books on human rights, including Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights—A Common Standard of Achievement, Course in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and so on.

CSHRS has been actively promoting the popularization and education of human rights knowledge, trying hard to raise human rights awareness of the whole society. It jointly hosted with China’s National Public Radio a series of radio lectures—“Talk about Human Rights”; It opened the column of “100 Q&As on Human Rights knowledge” on People’s Daily and the column of “China’s Human Rights Panorama” on People’s Daily Overseas Edition; It compiled and published some educational materials such as 100 Q&As on Human Rights knowledge, Overview of Key Human Rights Documents and Reading Book on Human Rights Knowledge for Cadres; It established some special seminars on human rights; It conducted trainings of human rights knowledge for government officials of all levels and law enforcement personnel.

CSHRS has been actively participating in international exchanges and cooperation on human rights domain. It had held three large multilateral international symposiums on human rights successively. It had sent delegates to attend human right conferences and other activities held by the United Nations and other international organizations. Delegations formed by CSHRS had visited the US, Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Morocco, Egypt, etc. CSHRS had invited and received visitors like the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, delegation of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Arrest, delegation of the European Parliament, and human rights officials and experts and scholars from the US, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Ukraine, Egypt, India, Malaysia, the ROK, etc.

The outlay of CSHRS comes mainly from the subsidy of China Human Rights Development Foundation, donations from other organizations, public subsidy and other lawful income.