China's Li Buyun Law Prize honors human rights scholar

The 2025 Li Buyun Law Prize ceremony was held Wednesday at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL), bringing together legal and human rights experts to mark China's progress in human rights development, legal practice and global engagement.

The award, initiated by the Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law (SIFL), recognizes individuals and institutions that have made outstanding contributions to Chinese legal studies, comparative scholarship and educational exchanges. It is presented annually to one Chinese and one international laureate.

The prize is named after Li Buyun, a research fellow at the Institute of Law under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a co-founder of the SIFL.

Zhang Yonghe is awarded the Li Buyun Law Prize at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, China, Dec. 10, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

This year's Chinese recipient, Zhang Yonghe, executive director of the Human Rights Institute at SWUPL, was honored for his extensive work in explaining the country's human rights progress, sharing its stories internationally and promoting related law-based practices.

SWUPL President Lin Wei praised Zhang's lifelong dedication to the field. "Zhang has devoted his life to developing the theoretical framework of human rights with Chinese characteristics and advancing law-based governance through his profound scholarship and deep understanding of legal theory," he said.

Lin noted that holding the ceremony on Dec. 10 — Human Rights Day — near the campus sculpture of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights underscored the emphasis Chinese academia places on human rights education.

"Zhang has built an important and solid bridge between human rights theory and practice," said Huang Wenyi, vice chairman of the prize committee.

Huang, a law professor at Renmin University, added that Zhang brings Chinese perspectives to global governance by connecting domestic research with international communication.

"Professor Zhang's human rights theory bears a distinctly Chinese character," Huang said. "He has consistently argued that human rights are historical, concrete and rooted in real conditions, and cannot be discussed apart from a country's sociopolitical context and cultural traditions."

Reflecting on the honor, Zhang said Li Buyun's work has long inspired him, especially during international engagements.

"When I speak about China's human rights stories, contemporary Chinese human rights perspectives, or respond to those who deliberately distort China's image in Europe, the Americas or the Middle East, I always carry with me the confidence imparted by Li," he said.

He also thanked his colleagues, calling the prize "a recognition of China's human rights research and practice, and a strong acknowledgment of SWUPL's work in this field."

Djibril Diallo, former spokesperson for the president of the U.N. General Assembly, likewise commended Zhang's contributions.

"On a day when the world reflects on the dignity and rights of every human being, your work stands out as a reminder of how essential the rule of law is in protecting those rights," Diallo said.

The ceremony coincided with the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948. 

Speakers highlighted China's progress over the past 77 years, echoing the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which emphasized following a Chinese path of human rights development, actively participating in global governance and promoting the all-around advancement of human rights.

SIFL President Fu Weigang noted that China has developed a human rights trajectory suited to its national conditions.

"From enshrining the principle of 'respecting and protecting human rights' in the constitution, to advancing the idea that 'living a happy life is the primary human right,' to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China's achievements are inseparable from the dedication and theoretical contributions of Chinese legal scholars, especially those specializing in human rights law," he said.

International scholars, including Utrecht University law professor Tom Zwart, David Lopez of the International Association for Human Rights and Social Development, and Benjamin Barros, dean of the College of Law at Stetson University, sent video messages congratulating Zhang.