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, February 21, 2017

Access to Justice (司法公正)

六四公祭被刑拘记者诉警方 开庭日30人围观法院突取消 (Reporter criminally detained for organizing June Fourth public memorial service in 2014 sues police for unlawful detention, hearing cancelled as 30 people try to attend)
Radio Free Asia, February 20, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql2-02202017104712.html

江天勇妻子忧丈夫安危 致信德国总理默克尔获回复 (Wang Qiaoling, wife of detained lawyer Jiang Tianyong, writes to German Chancellor expressing concern for husband’s safety, receives reply )
Radio Free Asia, February 19, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-02192017111607.html

Access to Information (信息公开)

高官揭川震曾有「類似福島」事故 (High-level Chinese official reveals that an accident “similar to Fukushima” occurred during 2008 Sichuan earthquake)
Mingpao, February 18, 2017
http://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20170218/s00013/1487354254098

China Focus: One year on, Xi's speech injects vitality into media
Xinhua, February 19, 2017
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-02/19/content_28258235.htm

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Chinese filmmaker who documented labour activists’ fight for workers’ rights in southern China tells of exile in Hong Kong
South China Morning Post, February 15, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2070745/chinese-filmmaker-who-documented-labour-activists-fight-workers

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China names and shames cities for failing to tackle smog
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2072335/china-names-and-shames-cities-failing-tackle-smog

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

北京朝陽公安推手機舉報應用程式 學者憂破壞道德底線 (Ministry of Public Security in Chaoyang, Beijing releases smart phone app for reporting cases, scholars worry it may damage moral values)
Radio Television Hong Kong, February 18, 2017
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1314311-20170218.htm

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

公安部:深入开展反恐怖斗争 打击网络违法犯罪 (Ministry of Public Security: To thoroughly carry out the fight against terrorism, we must crackdown on Internet crimes)
People Daily, February 20, 2017
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2017/0220/c1001-29094541.html

Region in China's restive Xinjiang to track vehicles as anti-terror measure
Reuters, February 21, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-idUSKBN1600DS

新疆7网民涉暴恐被捕 四川“净网”5人被拘 (7 netizens arrested in Xinjiang for involvement in terrorist activity, 5 others arrested as result of Sichuan’s “Internet cleansing”)
Radio Free Asia, February 17, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/XL1-02172017115408.html

Related:
Chinese troops stage show of force in Xinjiang and vow to “relentlessly beat” separatists
The Guardian, February 20, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/20/chinese-troops-stage-show-of-force-in-xinjiang-and-vow-to-relentlessly-beat-separatists

Xi: Security of nation a priority
China Daily, February 18, 2017
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-02/18/content_28248812.htm

Hong Kong (香港)

黨報專訪城大法律教授:警被重判衝擊法治 (Law professor at City University of Hong Kong comments on Ken Tsang’s assault case in State newspaper: Severe sentence against police officers tempers rule of law)
Mingpao, February 21, 2017
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20170221/s00001/1487635926271

”No plan” to criminalise insulting police in Hong Kong in wake of Occupy court case
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2072288/ken-tsang-says-jail-sentences-hong-kong-police-officers-who

李嘉诚踢爆香港特首选举是一场早知结果的戏码 (Li Ka-shing reveals that Hong Kong’s CE election is a play in which the ending is known early on)
Radio France Internationale, February 19, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170219-李嘉诚踢爆香港特首选举是一场早知结果的戏码

Commentary (评论)

观察:美议员重提香港人权法案 有用吗? (Observation: Will the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act proposed by U.S. congressmen be effective?)
British Broadcasting Corporation, February 17, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-39008862

Related:
Hong Kong’s relations with China are no business of the U.S.
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2072219/hong-kongs-relations-china-are-no-business-us