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.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Couple’s lawsuit is first test for same-sex marriage in China
The New York Times, January 28, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/world/asia/couples-lawsuit-is-first-test-for-same-sex-marriage-in-china.html

Swedish NGO worker expresses concern for colleagues in first interview since repatriation
Hong Kong Free Press, January 27, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/27/swedish-ngo-worker-expresses-concern-for-colleagues-in-first-interview-since-repatriation/

Related:
Mass Crackdown on Chinese Lawyers and Defenders
中国大规模镇压维权律师和活跃人士
Human Rights in China, January 27, 2016
EN: http://www.hrichina.org/en/mass-crackdown-chinese-lawyers-and-defenders
CH: http://hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-da-gui-mo-zhen-ya-wei-quan-lu-shi-he-huo-yue-ren-shi

Access to Information (信息公开)

中国公司购入六四照片版权 传播限制已开始 (Chinese company buys copyrights to June Fourth photos, dissemination restrictions already begun)
Voice of America, January 28, 2016
http://www.voachinese.com/content/voa-news-dc-visual-china-buy-corbisimages-20160127/3165090.html

China’s economic leaders struggle to explain thinking to world
The Financial Times, January 27, 2016
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/71ad991a-c4a9-11e5-808f-8231cd71622e.html#axzz3yO0cWcuZ

State newspaper editorials do not represent official stance on bookseller case—Security Sec.
Hong Kong Free Press, January 27, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/27/sec-for-security-state-newspaper-editorials-do-not-represent-official-stance-on-bookseller-case/

China shutters Uyghur websites for “harming ethnic unity”
Radio Free Asia, January 27, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-uyghur-01272016122318.html

Missing Chinese editor's wife detained
Voice of America, January 27, 2016
http://www.voanews.com/content/missing-chinese-editor-wife-detained/3165572.html

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

“Over a thousand” Tibetans gather in Kardze to pray for Dalai Lama's health
Radio Free Asia, January 27, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/health-01272016133213.html

State-approved Tibetan language classes held unhindered in Tawu
Radio Free Asia, January 27, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/unhindered-01272016163421.html

人权观察指俄中惧怕挑战打压公民社会 (Human Rights Watch: Fearing challenges to authority, Russia and China cracking down on civil society)
British Broadcasting Corporation, January 27, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2016/01/160127_human_rights_russa_china

Related:
Russia, China cracking down as leaders fear grip may wane - Human Rights Watch
Reuters, January 27, 2016
http://uk.reuters.com/article/global-rights-idUKKCN0V50XS

Government Accountability (政府问责)

人权观察组织:中国人权状况持续恶化 (Human Rights Watch: State of human rights in China continues to worsen)
Voice of America, January 27, 2016
http://www.voachinese.com/content/voa-news-human-rights-watch-says-china-reverses-downward-rights-spiral-20160127/3164779.html

Related:
World Report 2016: “Politics of Fear” Threatens Rights
Human Rights Watch, January 27, 2016
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/27/world-report-2016-politics-fear-threatens-rights

Senior CPC official demands Party loyalty
Xinhua, January 27, 2016
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-01/27/c_135050732.htm

Ex-Changjiang chairman falls to death amid graft probe
Caixin, January 27, 2016
http://english.caixin.com/2016-01-27/100904485.html

China admits nuclear emergency response “inadequate” as safety concerns halt construction of two Guangdong reactors
South China Morning Post, January 27, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1906287/china-admits-nuclear-emergency-response-inadequate

Studies point to inequalities that could strain Chinese society
The New York Times, January 28, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/world/asia/china-wealth-social-gap.html

Hong Kong (香港)

排名四連跌 港廉潔全球18 (Hong Kong ranks 18 in Corruption Perceptions Index, declining for fourth consecutive year since 2012)
Apple Daily, January 28, 2016
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20160128/19469597

Related:
Corruption Perceptions Index 2015
Transparency International, January 2016
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2015

全球自由報告:台灣89分亞太排第二 香港63分部分自由 大陸16分不自由 (World Freedom Report: Taiwan “free” with a score of 89 and ranking 2nd in Asia Pacific, Hong Kong “partially free” at 63, mainland China “not free” at 16)
Mingpao, January 28, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160128/s00001/1453943451396

Related:
Freedom in the World 2016: Anxious Dictators, Wavering Democracies: Global Freedom under Pressure
Freedom House, January 28, 2016
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2016

人權觀察報告:京侵香港政治參與權及表達自由 (Human Rights Watch report: Beijing encroaches Hong Kong's right to political participation and freedom of expression)
Mingpao, January 28, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160128/s00001/1453940106376

“Mob rule”: HKU vice-chancellor condemns students for surrounding governing Council meeting venue
Hong Kong Free Press, January 27, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/27/mob-rule-hku-vice-chancellor-condemns-students-for-besieging-governing-council-meeting/

Swedish police in Thailand to investigate bookseller Gui Minhai disappearance—report
Hong Kong Free Press, January 28, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/28/swedish-police-in-thailand-to-investigate-bookseller-gui-minhai-disappearance-report/

Hong Kong: Beijing opens a new chapter
The Financial Times, January 27, 2016
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b2160888-c419-11e5-808f-8231cd71622e.html

National Security & Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

Chinese VPNs Using Outdated Encryption Technology
The Nanfang, Juanuary 27, 2015
https://thenanfang.com/vpn-security-may-be-compromised-suggest-google-expert/