The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China's latest crackdown on lawyers is unprecedented, human rights monitors say
ABA Journal, February 1, 2016
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/chinas_latest_crackdown_on_lawyers_is_unprecedented_human_rights_monitors

Swedish NGO worker Peter Dahlin released from detention, deported from China after TV “confession”
Hong Kong Free Press, January 25, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/25/breaking-swedish-ngo-worker-peter-dahlin-forced-to-leave-china-after-being-paraded-on-state-tv-report/

Related:
在华被拘瑞典NGO工作者“被逐出境” 瑞外交部:对桂敏海深表关注 (Swedish NGO worker detained in China “deported,” Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses deep concern for another national Gui Minhai)
South China Morning Post, January 26, 2016
http://www.nanzao.com/sc/national/1527b8e92923f59/zai-hua-bei-ju-rui-dian-ngo-gong-zuo-zhe-huo-shi-rui-wai-jiao-bu-dui-gui-min-hai-shen-biao-guan-zhu

TV confessions go prime time in China
CNN, January 26, 2016
http://www.wptz.com/national/tv-confessions-go-prime-time-in-china/37638424

Chinese labor group vows to sue over state media report on detained activists
Radio Free Asia, January 25, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-labor-01252016142709.html

China’s prosecutors vow to focus on economic crimes
South China Morning Post, January 24, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1904736/chinas-prosecutors-vow-focus-economic-crimes

Access to Information (信息公开)

The hidden cracks in China’s employment figures
South China Morning Post, January 25, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1904879/hidden-cracks-chinas-employment-figures

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China vows to keep up anti-corruption efforts in 2016
The Diplomat, January 26, 2016
http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/china-vows-to-keep-up-anti-corruption-efforts-in-2016/

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Hacker group targeting Tibetan, Uyghur activists
China Digital Times, January 25, 2016
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2016/01/hacker-group-targeting-tibetan-uyghur-activists/

More than half of China’s population is online—and most use smartphones
The Wall Street Journal, January 26, 2016
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/01/26/more-than-half-of-chinas-population-is-online-and-most-use-smartphones/

Hong Kong (香港)

Concerns grow for Hong Kong's publishing industry amid report Beijing ordered crackdown
Radio Free Asia, January 25, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-hongkong-01252016145116.html

Guangdong governor says he believes case of Hong Kong bookseller Lee Po will have “practical and fair judgment”
South China Morning Post, January 25, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1904852/guangdong-governor-says-he-believes-case-hong-kong

Related:
【書店5人失蹤】李波太太回港後現身北角 拒談丈夫情況:不用關心 ([Disappearance of 5 booksellers] Back in Hong Kong, Lee Bo’s wife spotted in North Point, refuses to talk about husband, says “no need for concern”)
Mingpao, January 26, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160126/s00001/1453807297294

University of Hong Kong students threaten to escalate action if council rejects their call for governance reform
港大罢课学生:若校委会拒诉求 或升级行动
South China Morning Post, January 25, 2016
EN: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1904911/university-hong-kong-students-threaten-escalate
CH: http://www.nanzao.com/sc/hk-macau-tw/1527c1e78ee2594/gang-da-ba-ke-xue-sheng-ruo-xiao-wei-hui-ju-su-qiu-huo-sheng-ji-hang-dong

调查指港人开心指数续跌 研究员:因政治争拗 (Survey shows Hong Kongers’ happiness index continues to drop, researcher says political disputes are part of the cause)
South China Morning Post, January 26, 2016
http://www.nanzao.com/sc/hk-macau-tw/1527cf18773445f/diao-cha-zhi-gang-ren-kai-xin-zhi-shu-xu-die-yan-jiu-yuan-yin-zheng-zhi-zheng-ao

張曉明:要向任性耽誤香港經濟發展的現象說「不」 (Zhang Xiaoming, chief of Chinese government’s Liaison Office in HK: Say “No” to all unruly attempts to hinder Hong Kong’s economic development)
Mingpao, January 26, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160126/s00001/1453807298979

Opinion and Editorial (观点和社论)

【書店5人失蹤】國家安全法或首次應用在禁書案(文:呂秉權) (Bruce Lui on disappearance of 5 booksellers: Their case might be the first application of National security law on banned books)
Mingpao, January 26, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160126/s00022/1453790643048

Project Exile: Dissident blogger flees china after detentions
GJ Global Journalist, January 26, 2016
http://globaljournalist.org/2016/01/project-exile-dissident-blogger-flees-china-after-detentions/