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, December 01, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

3 Chinese rights activists vanish, apparently in state crackdown
The New York Times, November 30, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/world/asia/china-human-rights-activists-arrested.html

Related:
Disappeared lawyer a long-time target of surveillance, detention, and torture
China Change, November 30, 2016
https://chinachange.org/2016/11/30/disappeared-lawyer-a-long-time-target-of-surveillance-detention-and-torture/

"六四天网"创办人黄琦被捕 (Founder of rights website Tianwang, Huang Qi, arrested)
Deutsche Welle, December 1, 2016
http://www.dw.com/zh/六四天网创办人黄琦被捕/a-36597200

China’s most “radical” political prisoner dies in jail
China Change, November 30, 2016
https://chinachange.org/2016/11/30/chinas-most-radical-political-prisoner-dies-in-jail/

Related:
中国著名异议人士彭明于湖北监狱身亡 (Famous Chinese dissident Peng Ming dies in jail in Hubei)
Radio Free Asia, November 30, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql2-11302016101555.html

原《企業家之友》雜誌社長彭明死於獄中 (Former president of magazine Friends of Entrepreneurs, Peng Ming, dies in jail)
Radio France Internationale, November 30, 2016
http://trad.cn.rfi.fr/中國/20161130-原《企業家之友》雜誌社長彭明死於獄中

Access to Information (信息公开)

China is censoring people’s chats without them even knowing about it
Quartz, December 1, 2016
http://qz.com/848885/china-is-censoring-peoples-chats-without-their-even-knowing-about-it/

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Chinese court tries former senior provincial official for graft
Reuters, November 30, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-corruption-idUSKBN13P188

China’s Politburo tightens benefits of retired and present party, state leaders
South China Morning Post, December 1, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2050769/chinas-politburo-tightens-benefits-retired-and-present

Government could go after more lawmakers in oath-taking saga, Hong Kong justice minister says
South China Morning Post, December 1, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2050781/government-could-go-after-more-lawmakers-oath-taking-saga

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Moscow learns From Beijing on Internet censorship
China Digital Times, November 30, 2016
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2016/11/moscow-learning-beijing-internet-censorship/

Alipay’s new app abuses personal data and reinforces China's class divisions, critics say
Global Voices, November 30, 2016
https://globalvoices.org/2016/11/30/alipays-new-app-abuses-personal-data-and-reinforces-chinas-class-divisions-critics-say/

Why Facebook's China adventure will need more than censorship to succeed
The Guardian, November 30, 2016
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/30/why-facebooks-china-adventure-will-need-more-than-censorship-to-succeed

Hong Kong (香港)

【回鄉證解禁】何君堯指中央以前怯懦 現有了自信肯定傳統泛民「愛國不搞港獨」 (Lawmaker Junius Ho on the lifting of “Home Return Permit” ban: The central government was timid in the past, but now confident enough that traditional Hong Kong pan-dems “are patriotic and wouldn’t advocate independence”)
Ming Pao, December 1, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20161201/s00001/1480567025762

Related:
民主党调查:港独并非主流意见 (Democratic Party’s survey: Hong Kong independence is not the majority opinion)
Radio Free Asia, November 30, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/wsw-11302016102308.html

Lau Siu-lai says Hong Kong government’s case against her “political persecution”
South China Morning Post, November 30, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2050405/lau-siu-lai-says-hong-kong-governments-case-against-her

Beijing’s interpretation of Hong Kong Basic Law to apply retroactively
The Diplomat, December 1, 2016
http://thediplomat.com/2016/12/beijings-interpretation-of-hong-kong-basic-law-to-apply-retroactively/

English-language China news and commentary site The Nanfang closes citing commercial pressure
Hong Kong Free Press, December 1, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/12/01/english-language-china-news-and-commentary-site-the-nanfang-closes-citing-commercial-pressure/

Pro-independence activists in Taiwan and Hong Kong colluded to stir trouble, says Beijing
South China Morning Post, November 30, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2050399/pro-independence-activists-taiwan-and-hong-kong