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 15, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Two more Fengrui detainees formally arrested for subversion
Radio Free Asia, January 14, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/fengrui-01142016160612.html

Related:
China's pursuit of rights lawyers signals aggressive push against “subversion”
The Guardian, January 14, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/14/chinas-pursuit-of-human-rights-lawyers-signals-aggressive-push-against-subversion

China tells U.S. not to interfere after call for release of rights lawyers
Channel NewsAsia, January 14, 2016
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-tells-us-not-to-int/2425698.html

Access to Information (信息公开)

Minitrue: No unauthorized reporting on charged rights lawyers
China Digital Times, January 14, 2016
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2016/01/minitrue-no-unauthorized-reporting-on-charged-rights-lawyers/

Chinese blogger demands answers over “missing” millions in fund to help “left-behind children” from poor families
South China Morning Post, January 14, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1901093/chinese-blogger-demands-answers-over-missing-millions-fund-help

Beijing police have thousands of Internet monitoring volunteers
Radio Free Asia, January 14, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/volunteers-01142016151959.html

Related:
北京高调招募3000网警志愿者 国保大队设“网上斗争室” (Beijing recruits 3000 volunteer internet troops, National Security team to set up “internet combat room”)
Radio Free Asia, January 14, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/xl1-01142016101258.html

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Tibetan language made equal with Chinese in county in China's Qinghai
Radio Free Asia, January 13, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/equal-01132016145116.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Chinese citizens are boycotting search engine Baidu—and praying for Google to come back
Quartz, January 14, 2016
http://qz.com/593120/chinese-citizens-are-boycotting-search-engine-baidu-and-praying-for-google-to-come-back/

人权观察:北京对维权律师的打压前所未有 (Human Rights Watch: Beijing’s crackdown on rights lawyers is unprecedented)
Radio France Internationale, January 14, 2016
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20160114-人权观察:北京对维权律师的打压前所未有

Related:
China: Subversion charges target lawyers Arrests reflect Xi Jinping’s broader repression of rights activism
Human Rights Watch, January 14, 2016
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/14/china-subversion-charges-target-lawyers

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China’s Communist Party graft-busters to widen political watch in 2016
South China Morning Post, January 14, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1901224/chinas-communist-party-graft-busters-widen-political

Related:
中紀委:中國不是結構性腐敗 (CPC Disciplinary Committee: China is not structurally corrupt)
Mingpao, January 15, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160115/s00002/1452830076813

China party to target key officials in graft fight: Xinhua
Reuters, January 14, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-corruption-idUSKCN0UT043

Beijing says corruption suspect “persuaded” to return from UK to China
The Telegraph, January 14, 2016
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/12098865/Beijing-says-corruption-suspect-persuaded-to-return-from-UK-to-China.html

Report: China’s 1 percent owns 1/3 of wealth
报告称中国最富1%家庭拥有全国1/3财产
The Diplomat, January 15, 2016
EN: http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/report-chinas-1-percent-owns-13-of-wealth/
CH: http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001065766

Hong Kong (香港)

梁振英:不排除退出酷刑协议民间组织:漠视人权兼枉作小人 (CY Leung says gov’t may quit UN Convention Against Torture, NGOs criticize him for neglecting human rights and playing the villain in ignorance)
Radio France Internationale, January 14, 2016
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20160114-梁振英:不排除退出酷刑协议民间组织:漠视人权兼枉作小人

【港大生擬罷課】馬斐森:學生有權表達意見 不會處分 [Vice chancellor Mathieson on HKU students’ organizing strike: Students have the right to express opinions, will not be punished]
Mingpao, January 15, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160115/s00001/1452834836569

New owner of Causeway Bay banned bookstore “eyes customer list”, report says
Hong Kong Free Press, January 14, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/14/new-owner-of-causeway-bay-banned-bookstore-eyes-customer-list-report-says/

Book on Chinese president pulled as fears grow for missing Hong Kong publishers
The Guardian, January 14, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/14/xi-jinpings-nightmare-book-china-pulled-missing-hong-kong-publishers

“I would be a bad guy if I did not ask”: lawmakers press CY on missing bookseller at Q&A
Hong Kong Free Press, January 14, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/14/i-would-be-a-bad-guy-if-i-did-not-ask-lawmakers-press-cy-on-missing-bookseller-at-qa/

Related:
【書店5人失蹤】律師會會長熊運信促政府交代李波「人在哪裡」 ([Disappearance of 5 booksellers] Law Society chair Stephen Hung urges HK government to address the whereabouts of Lee Bo)
Mingpao, January 15, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160115/s00001/1452822694069

Two-systems failure: China’s promise of autonomy for Hong Kong is ringing hollow
The Economist, January 14, 2016
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21688423-chinas-promise-autonomy-hong-kong-ringing-hollow-two-systems-failure