Program Spotlights

CHENG LE：《How US-defined ‘international law’ becomes legitimized in the news media: BBC coverage of the case of the US against Huawei/Meng Wanzhou》，《Global Media and Communication》

The US has ‘international’ laws, created domestically, which used to support national global interests, enforced by threats of exclusion from the dollar-based world trading system. These create problems for, and are contested by, governments around the world, Using Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper analyses BBC international news reporting on one case where these laws were used against the chief financial officer of Huawei in regard to breaking US sanctions against Iran. The case was dismissed as groundless in 2021. Reporting foregrounds drama, personalization and details of legal process, but never questions the nature of this ‘international law’. 

CHENG LE：《Sociosemiotic Framing of Human Rights in Digital Age INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR THE SEMIOTICS OF LAW-REVUE》，《INTERNATIONALE DE SEMIOTIQUE JURIDIQUE》

In this digital age with its global challenges and opportunities, the need for a new, sustainable policy framework is becoming more obvious. For this reason, the necessity for institutions to fully commit to justice and security in the digital landscape is increasing. This will ensure constant peace and stability, and improve human rights throughout the world. The study concentrates on the importance and need for initiatives to promote the world and the exaltation

CHENG LE :《Meg Leta Jones and Amanda Levendowski: Feminist Cyberlaw》,《FEMINIST LEGAL STUDIES》

This book review introduces the core content of Feminist Cyberlaw. The book innovatively integrates feminist theory with cyberlaw, critically examining gender biases and inequalities within the existing legal framework of technology from three dimensions: ownership, access, and governance. Through case studies on virtual sexual assault, patent system inequities, and digital reproductive rights, it reveals the negative impact of technological regulations on marginalized groups. The book advances proposals such as feminist right to repair and abolitionist feminism, advocating for the integration of feminist values—including accessibility, dignity, and safety—into the governance of cyberspace, with the aim of building a fairer and more inclusive digital society. It is a pioneering work that appeals to a broad readership while demonstrating both theoretical depth and practical relevance.

of sustainable development around the world. The creation of an exclusive and safe environment is strengthening legal norms and compliance. The desire is for the world of justice and fair progress as the main goals for international society among complex geopolitical landscapes and multifaceted sociosemiotic dynamics. A multifaceted approach is therefore employed to examine the sustainable development with the element and principles of the rule of law and human rights in stimulating global transformations to a fair and equal world. The study emphasizes the high influence of global initiatives, demonstrating challenges and its fastest solution to promote peace in the world, human rights and inclusive justice, with strategic interaction, partnership with exchange experience thereby driving sustainable development.

CHENG LE：《Setting boundaries between crime and rights 》，《JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND POLITICS》

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson overturned two precedents, thus ending American women’s 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion. Drawing on Van Leeuwen’s legitimation framework and Labov’s model of narrative structure, this study focuses on how justices (de)legitimate abortion rights in contrasting narratives in Dobbs through authorization, moral evaluation, rationalization, and mythopoesis. Specifically, we propose a theoretical model of judicial narrative strata to deconstruct the language of justices and explain how judicial narratives set boundaries between two different moral economies around abortion and realize the transformation of a conceived right into a punishable crime. Furthermore, this study suggests that in the post-Dobbs era, the justices’ narrative reconfiguration of moral boundaries may turn into social boundaries and trigger more gender segregation, which might also have theoretical and practical implications for legislation and judicial practices in other jurisdictions. 

Hu M ,Hong T .Unveiling human rights protection in China from the perspective of criminal procedure law[J].International Journal of Legal Discourse,2024,9(2):259-287.DOI:10.1515/IJLD-2024-2012.

Abstract ：A significant portion of the misunderstanding surrounding China’s human rights protection stems from a failure to consider its legal progress in light of China’s unique cultural, ideological, and political contexts. The Criminal Procedure Law of China is closely linked to constitutional principles and the fundamental first generation of human rights, providing a clear framework for understanding China’s efforts in human rights protection. As widely accepted standards for human rights codification, Articles 9, 17, and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) outline the right to personal liberty, privacy, and the defense of the accused. Initially, China’s Criminal Procedure Law of 1979 fell short of meeting these global standards. However, with substantial revisions in 1996, 2012, and 2018, this specific code has progressively aligned with the covenant’s requirements, marking significant strides in human rights protection in China. Despite these advances, there remains room for improving the Criminal Procedure Law, especially under the challenges of the digital age. China, alongside other nations, will focus on building a more comprehensive, robust, and globally integrated legal framework to address the forthcoming issues.