Recently, China staff gathered in Beijing to share the sources of inspiration that led them to commit themselves to IBJ’s mission of ”working to guarantee all citizens the right to competent legal representation, the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial.”

Legal Program Officer Lei Yutian

Among these stories, was the touching personal account of our legal program officer in Wuhan, Lei Yutian. When he was still a child, his father was placed in detention after being involved in a car accident and he and his family were unsure of what to do or who to turn to. This feeling of helplessness inspired Yutian to become an actor for positive change within China’s legal system, helping to ensure other families in the same situation would be equipped with better tools to assist their loved ones.

When Yutian enrolled in university, he studied criminal law and is now completing his graduate studies at Wuhan University’s Research Center for Criminal Law. Over the past year, Yutian has also served as IBJ’s legal program officer, working tirelessly to promote rights awareness campaigns, arrange trainings for judicial stakeholders, and research ways to effectively implement laws.

Yutian notes that, at the time of his father’s arrest in 1998, the criminal law was less than two years old. He comments that, in little over a decade, the Chinese criminal justice system “has made a tremendous progression,” although “we still have a long way to go.” The solution, according to Yutian, is courage and optimism.

Upon graduation in June, Yutian will look for work with the government, dedicating himself to improving the system from within. In the meantime, his friends and colleagues at IBJ will continue to find inspiration from stories such as his, working towards the full realization of the rights of the accused in China and beyond.