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, August 25, 2006

August 25, 2006

Top News of the Day
Human Rights Defender – Journalist - Zhao Yan (赵岩)
China Jails NYT Researcher for 3 Years for Fraud
Reuters (via YahooNews), August 25, 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060825/ts_nm/rights_china
_researcher_dc_3
Zhao Yan, a former researcher for the New York Times, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for fraud by a Beijing court this morning. Taking into account the fact that he was held in detention for two years, Zhao is due for release in September 2007. His lawyer said he will "likely" appeal the conviction. The court dropped the charge of leaking state secrets due to insufficient evidence. He was detained in September 2004 after he correctly predicted, in an article he wrote for the New York Times, that former Chinese President Jiang Zemin would give up his sole remaining leadership post as military chief.


Human Rights Defender – Lawyer - Chen Guangcheng (陈光诚)
Four Years in Jail for Blind Activist
SCMP, August 25, 2006
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZ2CYBC9RE.html
Blind activist Chen Guangcheng was sentenced to four years and three months’ imprisonment by a court in Shandong Province yesterday for "damaging property and organizing a mob to disturb traffic." Chen refused to speak in his own defense to protest the detention of his lawyer the day before his trial. The authorities hastily appointed two others and, according to Chen's brother who attended the trial, their only statements were, "We have no objection." His brother said the charges were unfounded and called the lengthy sentence “illegal.”

News
Death Penalty
男子遭退婚手刃未婚妻准岳母被判死刑 (Man Sentenced to Death for Murdering Two over Marriage Dispute in Jiangxi Province)
Xinhuanet, August 23, 2006
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2006-08/23/conten
t_4996836.htm

Environment
松花江支流污染得到基本控制 (Pollution in Songhua River Under Control)
China Youth Daily, August 25, 2006
http://zqb.cyol.com/content/2006-08/25/content_
1490501.htm

Government
中国干部问责制被指不得已而为之 (China's Accountability System for Cadres an Unwilling Compromise)
Voice of America, August 23, 2006
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2006-08-23-voa21.cfm

Human Rights Defender - Religious Practitioner - Master Shengguan (圣观大师)
为六四死难者举行超度 圣观法师被驱逐出寺庙 (Master Shengguan Expelled from Temple for Performing Rituals of Salvation for June 4th Victims in Jiangxi)
Radio Free Asia, August 24, 2006
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2006/0
8/24/shenguan/

Human Rights Defenders
人权组织促中国保护民间维权人士 (Rights NGOs Urge China to Protect Human Rights Defenders)
Voice of America, August 23, 2006
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2006-08-23-voa52.cfm

Land Policy
重要的不是“公共利益”而是平等博弈 ("Public Interests" Should Be Balanced by Individual Property Rights in Discussion of Amending Property Rights Law)
China Youth Daily, August 25, 2006
http://zqb.cyol.com/content/2006-08/25/content_1490441.htm

Politics
Communist Party Sets up Shop in Mainland Wal-Mart Store
SCMP, August 25, 2006
http://www.scmp.com/topnews/ZZZ4DCM79RE.html

Population
广东人口增长率高于8‰ "富人"超生将究刑责? (Guangdong Cadre Proposes Criminal Sanctions for Violators of One-child Policy as Population of Province Rises)
Xinhuanet, August 25, 2006
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2006-08/25/content
_5004071.htm

Public Health
北大人民医院等8家医院乱收费 (Eight Beijing Hospitals Found to Charge Patients Arbitrarily)
China Youth Daily, August 25, 2006
http://zqb.cyol.com/content/2006-08/25/conten
t_1490476.htm