Across China, courageous activists, journalists, and lawyers risk everything to defend fundamental freedoms. With decades of support from NED, they are pushing back against Beijing’s repression—amplifying voices, exposing abuses, and fighting for democracy. NED’s grants empower local changemakers across Mainland China, Tibet, Hong Kong, and the Uyghur region, while also addressing the CCP’s global reach. 

Through their efforts, NED’s partners are: 

• Holding the CCP accountable for human rights abuses through investigative reports and survivor testimonies. 

• Helping millions bypass censorship with cutting-edge technology and secure communication tools. 

• Strengthening legal defenses against CCP transnational repression and misuse of global institutions like Interpol.  

NED Impact Case Studies: 

1. Exposing CCP Intimidation Tactics Abroad:

NED grantees alerted governments and law enforcement to the CCP’s targeting of Hong Kongers and other political victims in third countries. Their work has been pivotal in exposing the violation of sovereignty in democratic countries and alerting the world to the existence of 100+ CCP-operated “overseas police stations,” including one in New York City.  

2. Collecting Evidence to Stop Uyghur Genocide:

Long before the CCP’s atrocities against Uyghurs became global headlines, NED partners led the charge to uncover the truth. Through groundbreaking, evidence-based research and survivor testimonies, they provided the evidence that underpinned the US, UK, Canadian, EU, and Uyghur Tribunal’s genocide determinations, leading to sanctions against perpetrators.

3. Combating Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region:

NED grantees took on China’s industrial scale forced labor system, holding complicit corporations accountable. Their relentless campaigns and shareholder advocacy forced major companies like Volkswagen to exit the region, striking a blow against exploitation and CCP profiteering.  

4. Exposing Attacks on the Tibetan People:

NED partners exposed the CCP’s deliberate erasure of Tibetan identity, revealing that nearly one million Tibetan children are being forced into colonial boarding schools. This revelation galvanized global efforts to defend Tibet’s cultural and religious heritage.  

5. Driving Legal Reform in Mainland China:

NED partners led the charge to abolish the oppressive “re-education through labor” system, secured legal and policy changes for women and vulnerable groups, and protected individual property rights from the CCP at the provincial level, transforming lives and advancing justice in a corrupt and repressive legal system.  

6. Breaking Through the Great Firewall:

NED grantees have helped ensure hundreds of millions in China are able to defy the CCP’s iron grip on information so that they can bypass censorship to access the truth, share their stories, and amplify calls for democracy. In a tightly controlled environment where dissent is silenced, the ability to break through censorship is not just a tool, it is a lifeline for truth and a step toward challenging authoritarian rule.  

7. Defending the Defenders:

NED doesn’t just support democracy activists, it supports a vast network of fearless Chinese human rights lawyers who have taken on thousands of cases of wrongful arrest, torture, and unfair trials to demand accountability, as well cases of religious persecution against Christians, Tibetans, and Uyghurs to protect religious freedom.   

8. Empowering the Next Generation:

The White Paper Movement of 2022 sparked an unprecedented wave of activism both inside China and across global diaspora communities. NED partners swiftly stepped in to support this rising generation of young leaders, including by providing digital and security training, turning their courage into sustained momentum for democratic change.  

9. Building a Global Network to Push Back:

Through partnerships with NED, Chinese activists are connecting with allies across 82 countries, exchanging strategies and expertise to confront the CCP’s authoritarian influence. This network has led to impactful collaborations, such as coordinated advocacy campaigns to advance Uyghur, Tibetan, and Chinese human rights causes.    

10. Fighting the CCP’s Transnational Influence and Attacks on Democratic Sovereignty:

A grantee is combatting CCP encroachment on other countries’ legal systems and abuse of organizations like Interpol, for instance by exposing the misuse of extradition treaties and coordinating legal defense of victims caught in the process. Through this vital work, the grantee is calling out the PRC’s corrosive manipulation of these systems.