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.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

January 19, 2005

Top news of the day

June 4th – prisoners – Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽)
Mourning of Zhao’s death blocked in Shanghai and Beijing
哀悼赵紫阳 北京拦截 上海抓捕
Dajiyuan.com, January 19, 2005
Human Rights in China (HRIC) revealed that public was blocked paying respect to Zhao in Beijing and Shanghai.
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/5/1/19/n785648.htm

Beijing Speaks Ill of Fallen Chief, but Private Mourning Is Allowed
New York Times, 19 January 2005 (JOSEPH KAHN)
Private services were held at Zhao Ziyang’s residence. Plainclothes police officers surrounded the site and occupied intersections of nearby thoroughfares, but a steady stream of well-wishers were allowed to visit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/19/international/asia/19zhao.html

(For more news, refer the updated Special News Brief on Zhao Ziyang’s death)


News

Border Issues-North Korea
N. Korean Abduction Squad Roams Freely Through China
Chosun Ilbo, 19 January 2005
North Korea's State Safety and Security Agency operates an abduction squad in China to kidnap North Korean defectors and South Koreans helping them there. The abduction squad can commit such atrocities on Chinese soil because China looks the other way.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200501/20050119
0043.html

Corruption
Former vice-governor arrested for corruption
SCMP, January 19, 2005
Li Dachang, former governor of Sichuan, has been arrested for embezzling public funds amounted to 100 million yuan.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZ9S2AHJ3E.html

Huge haul of bogus invoices
SCMP, January 19, 2005
Heifang government has uncovered fake invoices totaling 700 million yuan in a large scale investigation over local government finances.
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZSLK8HJ3E.html

Death penalty
Shaanxi Chief Procurator Chen Peng (陳平) sentenced to death for corruption
咸阳秦都区检察院原检察长涉嫌受贿被判死刑
EastDay.com, January 19, 2005
Chief Procurator Chen Peng of Xianyang Country, Shaanxi is sentenced to death for corruption and intended murder.
http://china.eastday.com/eastday/news/node37955/node37957/node
37979/node47309/userobject1ai809810.html

Killer of nine students in central China executed
Xinhua News Agency, 20 January 2005
Yan Yanming, a 21-year-old man who killed nine senior high school students and injured four others, was executed Tuesday in Pingdingshan City in central China's Henan province.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/20/content_2483786.htm

June 4th-Arms Sales
EU will have to 'manage' tensions with US over China arms sales: Straw
AFP, 19 January 2005
LONDON (AFP) - Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the European Union would have to work to ease tensions with the United States over the likely lifting of an embargo on arms sales to China, a move opposed by Washington.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1538&u=/afp/20050119/wl_uk_afp/euchinabritain
arms&printer=1

Law – legal profession
Beijing takes tough measures to law firms on bribery practices and ambiguous fee charges
司法部严惩律师行贿法官行为和乱收费现象
People’s Daily, January 19, 2005
Ministry of Justice vows to be tough on law firms over bribery and misappropriate fee charges after revealing that 719 lawyers and 213 law firms had been punished on disciplinary charges in 2004.
http://legal.people.com.cn/GB/42735/3128537.html

Media – internet
Internet survey reveals 94 million internet users in China with average usage of 13.2 hours per week
CNNIC:中国网民总数达9400万 每周上网13.2小时
EastDay.com, January 19, 2005
According to a report published by the China National Network Information Center, there are over 94 million internet users in China, or 8% increase as compared with last year.
http://china.eastday.com/eastday/news/node37955/node37957/node
37979/node47309/userobject1ai809669.html

Media – press freedom
China condemned over Canadian PM visa row
SCMP, January 19, 2005
Reporters Without Borders condemns China for barring two Toronto-based Chinese journalist to enter China for a press assignment.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZEW46HJ3E.html

Politics – CPC
Party launches education campaign to consolidate ruling status
Xinhuanet.com, January 19, 2005
China Communist Party launched a meeting to educate members for advancing party ruling status in the country.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/19/content_2481108.htm

Religion
China recognizes relgion as a right
Reuters, December 20, 2004
Officially atheist China, has announced new rules enshrining religious belief as a basic human right. The set of comprehensive administrative rules "specify that the legitimate rights of religious groups, religious sites and the religious people are protected," it said.
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2004/12/19/
news/china-4661925.html