Vision and Mission

1. to support and promote the development of the rule of law, constitutionalism and human rights in China, including full and effective protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Chinese constitution and by international covenants which China has ratified.
2. to advocate and support peaceful reform of laws and institutions in China in order to achieve:
   1. substantive and procedural fairness;
   2. compliance with internationally accepted human rights norms and standards and;
   3. the more effective implementation of existing legal protection of civil and political rights and freedoms in China
3. to advocate for the protection of citizens right of access to the courts, right to legal representation and right to legal advice as well as of the rights of lawyers who take up their causes, and to advocate against any and all manner of abuse of power by officials particularly at the provincial and local levels in relation to human rights lawyers and their clients to promote understanding of and concern for the causes taken up by human rights lawyers in China and the problems and difficulties faced by them in their activities both generally and individually
4. to promote the protection of rights and the welfare of human rights lawyers in China, including supporting for causes and activities which are consistent with the rule of law and the foregoing objectives;

Aid to human rights cases:
We provide humanitarian assistance to the detained human rights lawyers and their family. We also provide legal aid to human rights lawyers and the human rights cases they handle.

Advocacy:
We publish statements, articles and reports on situation of human rights lawyers in China. We call for support to lawyers and legal rights defenders who fight for the rights of the underprivileged. We appeal to the authorities to release detained lawyers and legal rights defenders.

Capacity Building:
We conduct seminars on international law and human rights covenants, cross-strait legal professions’ exchange and training workshop.

Education:
We organize public activities and school talks. We publish commentaries on the development of rule of law in China.

Dating back to February 2006, when Mr. Albert Ho Chun-yan first received a call from a leading human rights lawyer from mainland, Mr. Gao zhisheng, calling him to join their hunger strike action to protest against the mainland police whom beat up Guangdong legal rights defender Guo Feixiong. Mr. Albert Ho kicked off his “24-hour hunger strike on Wednesdays” right away to respond to the call. This was the time when Mr. Ho first learnt about the severe condition of the mainland human rights lawyers. As he saw the needs and significance for legal practitioners in Hong Kong to lend support to their mainland peers, Mr. Ho call on the establishment of a concern group in Hong Kong together with his companions whom have been joining hands on the road of human rights advocacy.