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.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Access to Justice (司法公正)

处境危险律师国际观察站关注中国律师 (“L’Observatoire international des avocats en danger” pays close attention to Chinese lawyers)
Radio France Internationale, January 22, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170122-处境危险律师国际观察站今年关注中国律师

“Your only right is to obey”: lawyer describes torture in China's secret jails
The Guardian, January 23, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/23/lawyer-torture-china-secret-jails-xie-yang

Related:
Scores of Chinese lawyers rally around colleague who claims he was tortured during crackdown
South China Morning Post, January 21, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064227/scores-chinese-lawyers-rally-around-colleague-who

谢阳反告10名国保施酷刑 (Xie Yang brings torture claims against 10 Domestic Security officers)
Radio France Internationale, January 21, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170121-谢阳反告10名国保施酷刑

Chinese human rights lawyers set their sights on smog
Agence France-Presse, January 23, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/01/23/chinese-human-rights-lawyers-set-sights-smog/

中国敢言律师告当局治理污染不利 (Chinese outspoken lawyer sues the authority for incompetence in controlling pollution)
Radio France Internationale, January 21, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170121-中国敢言律师告当局治理污染不利

A broken lawyer and a hawkish judge cast deep pall over China’s legal system
The Washington Post, January 20, 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-tortured-broken-lawyer-and-a-hawkish-judge-cast-deep-pall-over-chinas-legal-system/2017/01/20/1daf0ff6-dd62-11e6-b2cf-b67fe3285cbc_story.html

Access to Information (信息公开)

Historian’s latest book on Mao turns acclaim in China to censure
The New York Times, January 21, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/world/asia/china-historian-yang-jisheng-book-mao.html

Beijing Internet censors close websites of liberal economic think tank
South China Morning Post, January 21, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064260/beijing-internet-censors-close-websites-liberal

China cracks down on Mao critics
Financial Times, January 22, 2017
https://www.ft.com/content/321d2330-e053-11e6-9645-c9357a75844a

Related:
北京关闭17家网站 茅于轼微博账号被封 (Beijing closes down 17 websites, Mao Yushi’s Weibo account also suspended)
Radio Free Asia, January 22, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/yf1-01222017100533.html

Ministry of Truth: No independent reporting of Trump’s inauguration
China Digital Times, January 20, 2017
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2017/01/ministry-truth-no-independent-reporting-trumps-inauguration/

How China tightened its grip on the media during 2016, by IFJ
The Guardian, January 20, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2017/jan/20/how-china-tightened-its-grip-on-the-media-during-2016-by-ifj

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

First batch of overseas NGOs register under China’s new law
Sixth Tone, January 20, 2017
http://www.sixthtone.com/news/first-batch-overseas-ngos-register-under-china%E2%80%99s-new-law

聲援佔中 詩人年關遭逼遷 (Poets evicted at the end of year for supporting Occupy Central movement)
Mingpao, January 23, 2017
http://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20170123/s00013/1485108572994

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Communist Party puts graft interrogators on tighter leash
South China Morning Post, January 21, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064071/communist-party-puts-graft-interrogators-tighter-leash

Punches, kicks and the “dangling chair’: Detainee tells of torture in China
The New York Times, January 20, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/world/asia/china-lawyer-torture-xie-yang.html

Doctors and red envelopes: How corruption has blighted China’s public health system
Caixin, January 20, 2017
http://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-01-20/101047316.html

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China tightens Great Firewall by declaring unauthorized VPN services illegal
South China Morning Post, January 23, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064587/chinas-move-clean-vpns-and-strengthen-great-firewall

Related:
中国正式“清算”VPN (China “cleans up” VPN services officially)
Deutsche Welle, January 22, 2017
http://www.dw.com/zh/中国正式清算vpn/ a-37231959

工业和信息化部关于清理规范互联网网络接入服务市场的通知 (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Notice Regarding Clearance and Regulation of VPN Services)
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, January 17, 2017
http://www.miit.gov.cn/n1146295/n1652858/n1652930/n3757020/c5471946/content.html

Hong Kong (香港)

Why China's supporters in Hong Kong are divided
The Diplomat, January 20, 2017
http://thediplomat.com/2017/01/why-chinas-supporters-in-hong-kong-are-divided/

曾鈺成:接受反對派「推倒8‧31」要求沒可能當選 (Jasper Tsang: Those who accept the opposition’s demand to “overturn August 31 Decision” will never be elected)
Mingpao, January 23, 2017
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20170123/s00001/1485129525079

暗示对手不被北京接受? 林郑陷"失言"风波 (Hinting that her opponents aren’t accepted by Beijing? Carrie Lam caught in “gaffe” scandal)
Deutsche Welle, January 22, 2017
http://www.dw.com/zh/暗示对手不被北京接受林郑陷失言风波/a-37232533

民主動力倡計劃予市民向選委推薦特首人選 被提名人士需符3項條件 (Power for Democracy launches campaign for general public to nominate CE candidate, nominee should meet 3 requirements)
Mingpao, January 22, 2017
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20170122/s00001/1485091982994

香港维园年宵 支联会设六四展馆 呼吁勿忘历实 (Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China sets up mini June-Fourth museum in Lunar new year market, advocates to never forget historical truth)
Radio Free Asia, January 22, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/yf2-01222017101638.html

逾百議員、選委及學者等聯署要求撤消對4議員司法覆核 (Over 100 scholars, Legco and Election Committee members petition for gov’t to drop judicial review cases against 4 Legco members)
Radio Television Hong Kong, January 21, 2017
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1309099-20170121.htm

Commentary (评论)

Codifying illegality? The case of Jiang Tianyong
China Law and Policy, January 20, 2017
http://chinalawandpolicy.com/2017/01/20/codifying-illegality-the-case-of-jiang-tianyong/

The real secret of Chinese Internet censorship? Distraction
The Guardian, January 22, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/22/chinese-internet-censorship-uses-distraction