On 21 January 2026, FAU CHREN hosted Dr Alexandra Kaiser’s book launch, chaired by Professor Eva Pils. Dr Kaiser’s book on Presumption of Innocence under China’s ‘National Conditions’ examines one of the most controversial legal principles in Chinese criminal justice: the presumption of innocence.
Dr Alexandra Kaiser looked behind the scenes of law-making, as well as negotiations between scholars and party-state agencies to understand the trajectory of criminal justice in China. Dr Kaiser illustrated the evolution of academic discourse surrounding this concept and traced its development through changing political climates, from the era of Mao Zedong to the leadership of Xi Jinping. Dr Kaiser explained why there is no presumption of innocence in the Chinese justice process, offering insights into the interplay between law and politics, over time. She highlighted how periods of reform, particularly during more liberal phases, enabled pluralist perspectives and constructive critique within institutionalized academia, alongside a growing concern for the protection of human rights. By contrast, Dr Kaiser showed how the deepening of authoritarianism under Xi Jinping has redefined the criminal justice system in a more illiberal direction, suppressing the advocacy of liberal values and ending decades of debate on the question of presumption of innocence in China.
About the Speaker
Dr Alexandra Kaiser presenting her Book on “Presumption of Innocence under China’s ‘National Conditions’”. Image: Nathalie Schneider/FAU
Dr Kaiser is currently an Akademische Rätin a.Z. (Assistant Professor) at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, where she is affiliated with the Chair for Human Rights Law. Alexandra’s research focuses on China and Taiwan. She obtained her doctorate in China Regional Studies and Law from the University of Cologne in 2021. Alexandra has several years of experience in academia and has studied and researched at Tamkang University in Taipei, the Chinese University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, Nanjing University, the Human Rights Center of Central South University in Changsha and King’s College London. Her research was funded by Academia Sinica and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, among others. Before joining the Chair of Human Rights Law at FAU in March 2025, Alexandra worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institutum Iurisprudentiae, Academia Sinica in Taipei. Previously, Alexandra worked as a research associate at the Chair of Chinese Legal Culture at the University of Cologne (2017-2020) and as a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Human Rights Politics (Prof. Dr. Katrin Kinzelbach) at FAU, where she coordinated a project on “Academic Freedom in the People’s Republic of China” funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (2021-2024).
About the FAU CHREN Human Rights Colloquium
Organized by the FAU Research Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU CHREN), our inter- and transdisciplinary brings together scholars and practitioners to discuss current issues in human rights research and practice.
Colloquia are organised on a rolling basis and are co-convened by Dr. Janina Heaphy and Prof. Dr. Eva Pils. Events are invitation-only. Enquiries should be directed to the co-conveners and/or to humanrights@fau.de.
On 21 January 2026, FAU CHREN hosted Dr Alexandra Kaiser’s book launch, chaired by Professor Eva Pils. Dr Kaiser’s book on Presumption of Innocence under China’s ‘National Conditions’ examines one of the most controversial legal principles in Chinese criminal justice: the presumption of innocence.
Dr Alexandra Kaiser looked behind the scenes of law-making, as well as negotiations between scholars and party-state agencies to understand the trajectory of criminal justice in China. Dr Kaiser illustrated the evolution of academic discourse surrounding this concept and traced its development through changing political climates, from the era of Mao Zedong to the leadership of Xi Jinping. Dr Kaiser explained why there is no presumption of innocence in the Chinese justice process, offering insights into the interplay between law and politics, over time. She highlighted how periods of reform, particularly during more liberal phases, enabled pluralist perspectives and constructive critique within institutionalized academia, alongside a growing concern for the protection of human rights. By contrast, Dr Kaiser showed how the deepening of authoritarianism under Xi Jinping has redefined the criminal justice system in a more illiberal direction, suppressing the advocacy of liberal values and ending decades of debate on the question of presumption of innocence in China.
About the Speaker
Dr Kaiser is currently an Akademische Rätin a.Z. (Assistant Professor) at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, where she is affiliated with the Chair for Human Rights Law. Alexandra’s research focuses on China and Taiwan. She obtained her doctorate in China Regional Studies and Law from the University of Cologne in 2021. Alexandra has several years of experience in academia and has studied and researched at Tamkang University in Taipei, the Chinese University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, Nanjing University, the Human Rights Center of Central South University in Changsha and King’s College London. Her research was funded by Academia Sinica and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, among others. Before joining the Chair of Human Rights Law at FAU in March 2025, Alexandra worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institutum Iurisprudentiae, Academia Sinica in Taipei. Previously, Alexandra worked as a research associate at the Chair of Chinese Legal Culture at the University of Cologne (2017-2020) and as a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Human Rights Politics (Prof. Dr. Katrin Kinzelbach) at FAU, where she coordinated a project on “Academic Freedom in the People’s Republic of China” funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (2021-2024).
About the FAU CHREN Human Rights Colloquium
Organized by the FAU Research Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU CHREN), our inter- and transdisciplinary brings together scholars and practitioners to discuss current issues in human rights research and practice.
Colloquia are organised on a rolling basis and are co-convened by Dr. Janina Heaphy and Prof. Dr. Eva Pils. Events are invitation-only. Enquiries should be directed to the co-conveners and/or to humanrights@fau.de.