This June, IBJ China’s Xi’an Defender Resource Centre held a celebratory dinner with lawyers and law professors from Northwest University of Political Science and Law who had supported recent IBJ trainings of public defenders.  Founder and CEO of IBJ Karen Tse and Interim China Director Aurora Bewicke attended the event.

On behalf of IBJ, Karen expressed her sincere gratitude to the professors and lawyers for their support of IBJ projects.  They, in turn, thanked IBJ for its contributions to the local lawyers’ community.  Karen noted that everyone at the dinner was working towards a common goal of strengthening China’s legal system so that the basic legal rights of all Chinese citizens are respected.

At Karen’s request, everyone at the dinner shared something that gave them hope about China’s developing legal system.  For instance, one professor said that he found the enthusiasm his students had for legal aid inspiring.  Another lawyer said that she was encouraged by the connections with other legal professionals and the exposure to new ideas that she gained from participating in IBJ initiatives.

To close the evening, Karen led the group in singing an IBJ song about  overcoming obstacles to improve justice around the world.  The group then also sang some traditional Chinese songs together.  Everyone  pledged to continue working together to realize the common dream of creating a fair and effective legal system for China.