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"In the outside world, people see a China that is different from the real China. I think I have the responsibility to speak up and let people know the truth."

On Thursday 7 April, a two-thirds majority of States at the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of suspending Russia's membership of the UN Human Rights Council.

Working together to combat violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGIE)

"I chose to be a human rights defender by, hopefully, protecting those who don't know where to find a solution when there are human rights abuses happening to them."

Two years ago, not many people outside the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong would have heard the name Chow Hang-tung. Today, her name is on every Hongkonger’s lips.

Any country that claims to respect the rule of law, must establish a fair legal system. However, in a totalitarian regime, those in power refuse to be constrained by law or respect citizens' legal rights. They choose to persecute, suppress and arrest lawyers who persist in defending civil rights. One famous example in China is lawyer Yu Wensheng, who was sentenced to four years in prison for “inciting subversion of State power”.

This is the first story in our new series of Chinese lawyers' profiles: read the inspiring story of Albert Ho, a pro-democracy leader who dedicated most of his lifetime to showing what it means to live by one's belief, walk one's talk, and give it all to preserve the truth.

Human rights inspire hope. In January 2022, we asked you to share some of the human rights stories and successes that inspire you. Thanks for being both courageous and vulnerable in sharing them!

"States have the obligation to respect defenders, to provide them with security, to heed their calls and to consider that we are people who support the most vulnerable sectors of society, and that this is a contribution to democratic life."

Here at ISHR we have a custom of starting all staff meetings by sharing our inspirations. The inspiration might be something deeply personal, like the resilience of a loved one recovering from illness, something local, like the renaming of a Geneva street to honour a feminist activist, or something work-related, like the release of a human rights defender from arbitrary detention following a concerted global campaign.