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.

Friday, January 21, 2005

January 21, 2005


Top news of the day

Corruption
Corruption claims lead to sacking
SCMP, January 21, 2005
Liu Tao (劉濤), vice chairman of the Shenzhen People’s Political Consultative Conference, is sacked over corruption charge.
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZVP9AHJ3E.html

Xinjiang
Two blasts kill 13, injure 18 in Xinjiang
SCMP, January 21, 2005
13 people were killed and 18 injured in two separate explosions in Xinjiang yesterday. Police speculates that the tragedies may be related to separatist attack.
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZN5JCHJ3E.html


News
Bilaterals-Canada/China
Martin gently chides China on rights
The Globe and Mail, 21 January 2005
China is making considerable strides in reducing abuses of human rights, Paul Martin said yesterday.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Gender – discrimination / Education
Education bureau may relax control over marriage and the giving birth of university students
教育部拟规定高校不干涉大学生婚育
China Youth Online, January 21, 2005
Education bureau considers lifting a ban that outlaws marriage and giving birth of female high school and university students. The move is believed to free women from making a choice between marriage and education.
http://news.cyol.com/gb/news/2005-01/21/content_1020991.htm

Gender – sexuality
Yes, gay men are at risk in China
International Herald Tribune, January 21, 2005
Although the government has taken note of the high risk of its 20 million gay population for contracting and transmitting HIV aids, measures in preventing the disease for this socially marginalized group are far from enough.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/20/opinion/edsettle.html

June 4th – EU arms ban
Tokyo fights push to lift arms ban
SCMP, January 21, 2005
Japan aired discontent over EU’s likely move to the lifting of arms embargo against China for fears of increasing tensions in the region.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZ6UA6HJ3E.html


June 4th – prisoners – Zhao Ziyang
Home becomes a site of pilgrimage
SCMP, January 21, 2005
A steady stream people came to pay their respects to Zhao at his home in Wangfujing after the government had given green light to public mourning to the former leader.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZIUA6HJ3E.html


Law
Contemporary criminal law and the protection to human rights
当代刑法与人权保障
Legal Daily, January 20, 2005
Legal experts emphasized that human rights protection is an inherent feature in contemporary criminal law and a foundation to the constitution.
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/2005-01/20/content_180283.htm

Protests and Petitions
A Chinese Court Sentences Farmers Who Protested a Land Seizure
The New York Times, 21 January 2005
The Sanqin Metro Daily, a state-controlled newspaper in the provincial capital of Xian, reported this week that 6 of 27 arrested protesters were given long sentences, including 15 years for a protest leader, Gao Lading.
www.nytimes.com

Protesters scuffle with police as Shanghai ends government meeting
AP, 21 January 2005
The protest took place across the street from the Shanghai Exhibition Center on Nanjing West Road, where legislators were meeting in preparation for the annual meeting of China's parliament in March.
www.ap.org

Political dissidents – imprisonment – Yang Jiangli (楊建利)
Wife of Boston-Based Dissident Jailed
AP via YahooNews.com, January 21, 2005
The wife of jailed dissident Yang Jiangli (楊建利) plans to seek medical parole of his husband who has been convicted of spying and illegal entry in 2003.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=731
&e=10&u=/ap/20050120/ap_on_re_as/china_jailed_dissident

Political Dissidents-Detention Cases
South Korean missionary to sue China in US court over imprisonment: report
Agence France Presse, 21 January 2005
Kim Hee-Tae, a South Korean missionary who was detained for two years in a Chinese prison on charges of aiding North Korean defectors, plans to sue the Chinese government in a United States court, Yonhap news agency reported Friday.
www.afp.com

Poverty
Getting attention the key to get access to poverty funds
“扶贫托儿”
Nanfang Weekend, January 20, 2005
A rural villager earns the reputation to get 1 million poverty funds for the
village after he succeeded to get attention from the authority for persistence in “crying” out the plights of the village.
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/zm/20050120/xw/szxw2/2005
01200014.asp

Protests and petitions
Will the new regulations on petitions invite more petitioning activities in the future?
新信访条例会否带来新一轮信访洪峰
Nanfang Weekend, January 20, 2005
Experts say the new regulations on petitions give explicit reference to the right to protect petitioners and that may encourage a new wave of petitioning activities in the future.
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/zm/20050120/xw/szxw1/20050
1200007.asp