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, May 15, 2015

Access to Justice (司法公正)

河南“呕吐死”案再审 证人:死者曾遭刑讯逼供 (Henan court retries case of detained man who “vomited to death,” witness says he had been tortured for confession)
Xinhua, May 14, 2015
http://www.js.xinhuanet.com/2015-05/14/c_1115277498.htm

最高人民法院成立民法典编纂工作研究小组 (Supreme People’s Court establishes a Civil Code research working group)
The Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China, May 12, 2015
http://www.court.gov.cn/zixun-xiangqing-14441.html

Related:
对《中华人民共和国民法典·民法总则专家建议稿(征求意见稿)》公开征求意见的通知 (Civil Code: experts’ draft published for comment)
China Law Society, April 20, 2015
http://www.chinalaw.org.cn/Column/Column_View.aspx?ColumnID=81&InfoID=14364

Access to Information (信息公开)

村民给国土局发邮件申请信息公开 遭门卫拒收 (Villagers mail OGI request to the Land Resources Department, only to be rejected by “a bouncer”)
XDKB.net, May 15, 2015
http://news.sohu.com/20150515/n413087238.shtml

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Chinese human rights lawyers Pu Zhiqiang indicted for “inciting ethnic hatred”
South China Morning Post, May 15, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1798074/chinese-human-rights-lawyer-pu-zhiqiang-indicted

VOA连线:浦志强被以涉嫌煽动民族仇恨、寻衅滋事罪起诉 (Pu Zhiqiang indicted on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and picking quarrels and provoking troubles [VIDEO])
Voice of American, May 15, 2015
http://www.voachinese.com/media/video/voaweishi-20150515-voaconnects-pu-zhiqiang/2768691.html

Related Twitter post:
@49laihong: 斯伟江:浦的涉案言论完全在言论自由的范畴,浦的发言是基于对这个国家、人民的爱和责任,对浦志强的起诉没有法律依据,浦志强无罪。判决结果已经可以预料,但历史的判决一定会宣告老浦无罪。

@49laihong: Si Weijiang: Pu’s words (for which he’s being charged) are completely within the scope of freedom of expression, and are based on his love and respect for China & its citizens. His prosecution has no legal basis, Pu is not guilty. We can already guess what the verdict will be, but history will declare his innocence.

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Police officer cleared of fatal shooting at railway station
China Daily, May 14, 2015
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-05/14/content_20717219.htm

Related:
China debates its own police shooting incident
Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2015
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/05/14/china-debates-its-own-police-shooting-incident/

黑龙江庆安检察院干警实名举报检察长 省检察院调查 (Heilongjiang procuratorate investigates its Qing An local branch chief, following report by branch police using own name)
China News, May 13, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2015-05/13/c_127793990.htm

China catches 150 corruption suspects overseas since the start of the year
South China Morning Post, May 15, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1797780/china-catches-150-corruption-suspects-overseas-start

Corrupt Chinese official “sought illicit gains by meddling in land deals”
South China Morning Post, May 14 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1796423/former-chinese-party-chief-received-100-million-yuan-return

Operation Fox Hunt secures return of 150 economic fugitives from 32 countries
China Daily, May 15,2015
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-05/15/content_20722172.htm

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong ministers and officials slow to sign pro-reform petition
South China Morning Post, May 15, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1797519/hong-kong-ministers-and-officials-slow-sign-pro-reform

Meeting sought between democrats and Beijing
Radio Television Hong Kong, May 15, 2015
http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20150515/news_20150515_56_1099681.htm

陳文敏認為政改表決6月非死線 可延遲數月 (Former HKU law dean Johannes Chan: June is not final deadline to vote on political reform package, a few months’ delay is possible)
Radio Television Hong Kong, May 15, 2015
http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20150515/news_20150515_55_1099760.htm

法律學者:一地兩檢倘列入基本法附件破壞法治 (Law academic: Juxtaposed border control, if included in Basic Law annex, would harm rule of law)
Radio Television Hong Kong, May 15, 2015
http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20150515/news_20150515_55_1099766.htm

Related:
梁愛詩相信有辦法解決高鐵一地兩檢爭議 (Former HK Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung: there are ways to settle the disputes over juxtaposed border control)
Radio Television Hong Kong, May 15, 2015
http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20150515/news_20150515_55_1099749.htm

Counterterrorism (反恐)

国家反恐局:300名中国籍极端分子在叙利亚参战 (State Bureau of Counter-Terrorism: 300 Chinese citizens are extremist elements involved in Syrian fighting) )
China Daily, May 15, 2015
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2015-05-15/144031836890.shtml

S. Korea, China, Japan discuss counter-terrorism, cybersecurity
Yonhap News, May 15, 2015
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2015/05/15/31/0301000000AEN20150515008700315F.html

Nation vows improved efforts to fight terror
China Daily, May 15, 2015
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-05/15/content_20722916.htm

Chinese police order residents in a Xinjiang Prefecture to turn in passports
The New York Times, May 14, 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/world/asia/china-passports-xinjiang-ili-kazakh-autonomous-prefecture.html

Tibetans, Uyghurs “blacklisted” at hotels in Chinese cities
Radio Free Asia, May 15, 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/world/asia/china-passports-xinjiang-ili-kazakh-autonomous-prefecture.html

Opinion and Editorial (观点和社论)

北京为何要打倒传知行研究所和郭玉闪 (Why Beijing is cracking down on Transition Institute and Guo Yushan)
Voice of America, May 15, 2015
http://www.voachinese.com/content/io-20150514-guo-yushan/2767591.html