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.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Xinjiang court upholds “extraordinarily harsh” 19-year sentence for outspoken writer Zhang Haitao
Hong Kong Free Press, November 29, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/29/xinjiang-court-upholds-extraordinarily-harsh-19-year-sentence-for-outspoken-writer-zhang-haitao/

Fears grow over fate of “disappeared” Chinese rights lawyer
Radio Free Asia, November 28, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/fears-11282016122339.html

Access to Information (信息公开)

A Pulitzer winner is giving away her book in Chinese because the topic scared off publishers
Quartz, November 28, 2016
http://qz.com/846694/pulitzer-winner-mei-fong-is-giving-away-her-book-on-the-one-child-policy-in-chinese-because-the-topic-scared-off-publishers/

Government Accountability (政府问责)

南蒙古人权信息中心代表在联合国论坛发言 被中国打断 (Speech of Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center representative at UN forum interrupted by China for the reason of separatism and infringement of Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity)
Radio Free Asia, November 28, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/zl-11282016135550.html

New U.N. chief, in China, calls for human rights respect
Reuters, November 28, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-un-idUSKBN13N0TV

Related:
Chinese police detain, beat petitioners as U.N. chief calls for rights protection
Radio Free Asia, November 28, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/protection-11282016150802.html

China takes a chain saw to a center of Tibetan Buddhism
The New York Times, November 28, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/world/asia/china-takes-a-chain-saw-to-a-center-of-tibetan-buddhism.html

China steps up protection of property rights
Channel NewsAsia, November 27, 2016
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-steps-up-protection-of-property-rights/3322836.html

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China’s new tool for social control: A credit rating for everything
The Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-new-tool-for-social-control-a-credit-rating-for-everything-1480351590

National Security & Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

Beijing demands Singapore abide by “one-China” principle after military vehicles seized in Hong Kong
South China Morning Post, November 28, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2049769/beijing-demands-singapore-abide-one-china-principle

Religious extremism is spreading to inland China: Official
Channel NewsAsia, November 28, 2016
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/religious-extremism-is-spreading-to-inland-china-official/3325004.html

Hong Kong (香港)

Chris Patten to students: Hong Kong is not a nation state, do not deceive yourself
South China Morning Post, November 28, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2049866/chris-patten-students-hong-kong-not-nation-state-do-not-deceive

Related:
彭定康指港獨以為三五年可以推翻共產黨是自欺欺人 (Chris Patten on Hong Kong independence: If you think you can overthrow the Communist Party in the next two to five years, you are deceiving yourself)
Radio France Internationale, November 29, 2016
http://trad.cn.rfi.fr/中國/20161129-彭定康指港獨以為三五年可以推翻共產黨是自欺欺人

彭定康:香港自決不會發生 普選才是港人應得且會發生 (Chris Patten: Self-determination will not happen, universal suffrage is what Hong Kong people deserve and realistically possible)
Ming Pao, November 28, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161128/s00001/1480341078070

黨報:香港譽為「食品安全港」因內地把好關 (State media: Hong Kong’s reputation as a “food safety port” is thanks to China’s good guard)
Ming Pao, November 29, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161129/s00001/1480386241569

Commentary (评论)

The “mainlandization” of our courts? A very unusual Hong Kong appeal hearing
Hong Kong Free Press, November 29, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/29/mainlandisation-courts-unusual-hong-kong-appeal-hearing/

Should Facebook self-censor to enter the Chinese market?
ChinaFile, November 28, 2016
http://www.chinafile.com/conversation/should-facebook-self-censor-enter-chinese-market

Are Beijing loyalists really ready for modern Chinese history to be taught to all Hong Kong students?
South China Morning Post, November 28, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2049729/are-beijing-loyalists-really-ready-modern-chinese-history-be

Stuck at the bottom in China
The New York Times, November 28, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/opinion/stuck-at-the-bottom-in-china.html

文革後期的三大疑案 (Three mysteries of post-Cultural Revolution period)
Radio France Internationale, November 28, 2016
http://trad.cn.rfi.fr/中國/20161128-文革後期的三大疑案