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.

Thursday, April 07, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China state security trials fell 40 percent in 2015, official data suggest
Dui Hua Human Rights Journal, April 6, 2016
http://www.duihuahrjournal.org/2016/04/hrj20160406-china-state-security-trials.html

Chinese journalist Gao Yu in hospital after demolition raid on home
Radio Free Asia, April 6, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/chinese-journalist-gao-04062016124742.html

Waking up to the threat of domestic violence
Sixth Tone, April 3, 2016
http://www.sixthtone.com/news/waking-threat-domestic-violence

李和平音讯全无 代理律师控告天津市公安局 (No news about Li Heping, representative lawyers charge Tianjin Public Security Bureau)
Radio Free Asia, April 6, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-04062016095947.html

Related:
陈光诚吁美律师协会关注中国被捕同业 (Chen Guangcheng urges the American Bar Association to pay attention to the arrested fellow Chinese lawyers)
Voice of America, April 7, 2016
http://www.voachinese.com/content/chenguangcheng-20160406/3273162.html

Mass Crackdown on Chinese Lawyers and Defenders
中国大规模镇压维权律师和活跃人士
Human Rights in China, February 5, 2016
EN: http://www.hrichina.org/en/mass-crackdown-chinese-lawyers-and-defenders
CH: http://hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-da-gui-mo-zhen-ya-wei-quan-lu-shi-he-huo-yue-ren-shi

Access to Information (信息公开)

Chinese censors erase #PanamaPapers evidence from web
Global Voices, April 5, 2016
https://globalvoices.org/2016/04/05/chinese-censors-erase-panamapapers-evidence-from-web/

China downloaders seeking Hong Kong-set Ten Years get 10 Years, Hollywood rom-com, instead
South China Morning Post, April 7, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/film-tv/article/1934107/china-downloaders-seeking-hong-kong-set-ten-years-get-10-years

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Chinese voice frustration over “Great Firewall”
The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2016
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/04/07/chinese-voice-frustration-over-great-firewall/

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Panama Papers reveal offshore secrets of China’s red nobility
The Guardian, April 6, 2015
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/06/panama-papers-reveal-offshore-secrets-china-red-nobility-big-business

Related:
Panama Papers tie more of China’s elite to secret accounts
The New York Times, April 7, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/07/world/asia/china-panama-papers.html

Mayor of major eastern Chinese city placed under investigation for graft month after being named in Hong Kong lawsuit
South China Morning Post, April 6, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1934006/mayor-major-eastern-chinese-city-placed-under

China pushes Marxism for party members to root out wrongdoing
Reuters, April 6, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-politics-idUSKCN0X405O

国际特赦:中国或为全球头号刽子手 外交部:无兴趣评论 (Amnesty International alleges China to be the global no.1 executioner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says there is no interest in commenting)
South China Morning Post, April 7, 2016
http://www.nanzao.com/sc/national/153eea30f81c305/guo-ji-te-she-zhong-guo-huo-wei-quan-qiu-tou-hao-gui-zi-shou-wai-jiao-bu-wu-xing-qu-ping-lun

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

WhatsApp’s encryption could make it a target of the Chinese government
Quartz, April 6, 2016
http://qz.com/655778/whatsapps-encryption-could-make-it-a-target-of-the-chinese-government/

U.S. military cyber head questions Beijing's spying activities
Phys.org, April 5, 2016
http://phys.org/news/2016-04-military-cyber-beijing-spying.html

China domain name rules could hurt business, competition
Voice of America, April 6, 2016
http://www.voanews.com/content/china-domain-name-rules-could-hurt-business-competition/3271581.html

Hong Kong (香港)

Activist arrested after calling on public to “resist” library books in simplified Chinese
Hong Kong Free Press, April 7, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/04/07/activist-arrested-after-calling-on-public-to-resist-library-books-in-simplified-chinese/

HK gov’t turning “blind eye” as Beijing “chips away” at rights and freedoms, says ex-chief sec. Anson Chan
Hong Kong Free Press, April 6, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/04/06/hk-govt-turning-blind-eye-as-beijing-chips-away-at-rights-and-freedoms-says-ex-chief-sec-anson-chan/

HSBC denies bank accounts for Hong Kong democracy activist
Radio Free Asia, April 6, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hsbc-denies-hong-kong-04062016151842.html

Opinion and Editorial (观点和社论)

China in the Panama Papers
ChinaFile, April 6, 2016
https://www.chinafile.com/conversation/china-panama-papers

HKFP Interview: Shareholder activist David Webb on the Panama Papers and improving transparency
Hong Kong Free Press, April 5, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/04/05/hkfp-interview-shareholder-activist-david-webb-on-the-panama-papers-and-improving-transparency/

China’s future: unstable and unsettled
China Change, April 6, 2016
http://chinachange.org/2016/04/06/chinas-future-unstable-and-unsettled/

Vitriolic reactions to pro-independence National Party only increase the attraction of independence
Hong Kong Free Press, April 5, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/04/05/vitriolic-reactions-to-pro-independence-national-party-only-increase-the-attraction-of-independence/