Xu Zhangrun
Xu Zhangrun | |
---|---|
许章润 | |
Born | October 1962 (age 61) Beijing, China |
Alma mater | Southwest University of Political Science and Law China University of Political Science and Law University of Melbourne |
Occupation(s) | Law professor, jurist |
Known for | Criticism of Xi Jinping |
Xu Zhangrun (Chinese: 许章润; pinyin: Xǔ Zhāngrùn; born October 1962) is a Chinese jurist. He was a professor of Jurisprudence and Constitutional Law at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and a research fellow with the Unirule Institute of Economics.
Education
Xu received his bachelor's degree from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, a master's from the China University of Political Science and Law, and a PhD from the University of Melbourne.[1]
Research
Xu's research specializes in jurisprudence, Western legal philosophy, constitutional theory, and the relationship between Confucianism and law.
Writing
In July 2018, Xu published an essay, translated as "Imminent Fears, Immediate Hopes", where he rebukes the recent policy shifts of Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping, including the abolition of term limits and the restoration of a cult of personality, which is notable for being a rare expression of public dissent.[2] The essay has been translated into English by Geremie Barmé.[3] That essay received some commentary from Western scholars.[4][5] Xu had been suspended and put under investigation.[6] The article proposed to restore the Chinese Chairman's tenure system, namely, from the life tenure system instituted under Xi's rule on 11 March 2018 to the fixed-term system that perdured between 1982 and 2018. The article prompted discussion among Chinese people about the changes. Some supported it, while some were worried about the safety of Professor Xu. The article was published at a time of tension in China, which included the America-China trade war as well as reports of inner-conflicts among senior Chinese Communist Party officials.[citation needed] The article emphasized that the public, including bureaucratic officials, were concerned about personal safety issues as well as the direction of national development. Xu claimed that these fears were due to the breaking of four basic principles by the ruling class, namely, public security, respect of private property, tolerance of the population's life freedoms, and the duration of the Director General's tenure system.[7]
Detention
In April 2019, friends reported that the authorities had prohibited Xu from leaving the country. He was stopped from boarding a flight to Japan on a trip authorized and funded by Tsinghua University.[8]
In February 2020, Xu published an essay Viral Alarm: When Fury Overcomes Fear condemning the Chinese Government's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.[6][9] Xu condemns how the government banned the reporting of factual information during the outbreak and connects this problem to a larger freedom of speech issue in China.[6][9] After the publication of this essay, Xu's friends were unable to get in touch with him for a time.[9] His account on WeChat was suspended and his name was scrubbed from Weibo.[9] It is believed he was under house arrest.[9]
On 6 July 2020, Xu was detained by Chinese police at his home in Beijing,[10] being accused of speaking critically about China's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.[11] He was released from custody on 12 July 2020.[12][13] Subsequently, Xu was fired from his job at Tsinghua University.[14] Both the US State Department and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, who mentioned Xu in connection with the 709 crackdown, said that the EU:[15][16]
also expects the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release, without any restrictions on their movement or work, all lawyers and legal activists imprisoned or persecuted by the authorities for their work before and since the '709 crackdown', such as Yu Wensheng, Li Yuhan and Ge Jueping.
In early July, Xu was detained by police in Beijing for nearly a week after being accused of soliciting prostitution. According to his attorney, the trumped up charges claim he solicited a prostitute in December 2019 in Chengdu's Qingyang district. The police have a woman who said she had intercourse with Xu. Xu contends that he had never seen her before.[17]
References
- ^ "Xu Zhangrun". Tsinghua University School of Law. Tsinghua University School of Law.
- ^ Buckley, Chris. "As China's Woes Mount, Xi Jinping Faces Rare Rebuke At Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ Barme, Geremie. "Imminent Fears, Immediate Hopes — A Beijing Jeremiad". China Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ Backer, Larry Catá (17 August 2018). "Law at the End of the Day: 孙晓义评许章润:我们当下的恐惧与期待/ Flora Sapio, Thoughts on Xu Zhangrun: Our current fears and expectations". Law at the End of the Day. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ Backer, Larry Catá (16 August 2018). "Law at the End of the Day: 白轲评 许章润:我们当下的恐惧与期待/ Larry Catá Backer, Thoughts on Xu Zhangrun: Our current fears and expectations". Law at the End of the Day. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Buckley, Chris (26 March 2019). "A Chinese Law Professor Criticized Xi. Now He's Been Suspended". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ Wangyun; Shenhua; Anke (27 July 2018). "清华教授许章润吁恢复主席任期制". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ "Chinese liberal icon vows to keep saying 'what needs to be said'". South China Morning Post. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Yu, Verna; Graham-Harrison, Emma (15 February 2020). "'This may be the last piece I write': now a Xi critic's words ring true". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ VanderKlippe, Nathan (6 July 2020). "Police seizure of Chinese scholar and critic raises new fear of academic repression in Hong Kong". The Globe and Mail Inc.
- ^ "China Detains Law Professor Who Took On Party, Friends Say". The New York Times. 6 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ Tian, Yew Lun; Munroe, Tony; Mallard, William (12 July 2020). "China releases professor who criticised President Xi, friends say". Reuters. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "Outspoken Chinese professor is said to be released from detention". The Globe and Mail Inc. Reuters. 12 July 2020.
- ^ CNN, Ben Westcott and Nectar Gan. "Critic of China's Xi Jinping allegedly fired from top university". CNN. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "EU urges China to free activists on crackdown anniversary". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. 8 July 2020.
- ^ "China: Statement by the Spokesperson on the 5th anniversary of the "709 crackdown" on human rights lawyers and defenders". European External Action Service. 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Professor Who Criticised Xi Jinping To Fight Prostitution Charges: Lawyer". Reuters. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020 – via NDTV.com.