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, March 16, 2017

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China pushes legal overhaul that would bolster state power
习近平重提制定民法典,欲重塑中国司法制度
The New York Times, March 15, 2017
EN: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/world/asia/xi-jinping-legal-overhaul.html
CH: http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20170316/xi-jinping-legal-overhaul/

Related:
《民法總則》10月1日起實行 (“General Provisions of the Civil Code” takes effect on October 1)
Mingpao, March 16, 2017
http://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20170316/s00013/1489602915605

山西维权人士吕动力被禁出境 徐秦过境香港受阻 (Shanxi rights defender Lu Dongli forbidden to leave country for joining “709”, Xu Qin prevented from transit through Hong Kong)
Radio Free Asia, March 15, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-03152017102225.html

Former Chinese judge jailed over alleged “ethnic hatred,” porn on phone
新疆前法官涉“煽动民族仇恨”遭刑拘
Radio Free Asia, March 15, 2017
EN: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/judge-03152017120944.html
CH: http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-03152017101912.html

Access to Information (信息公开)

China's annual parliament ends amid “tightest Internet controls yet”
Radio Free Asia, March 15, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/controls-03152017123056.html

两会提案中有哪些“奇葩”和“禁果” (What sensitive topics were mentioned in Two Congresses?)
Deutsche Welle, March 15, 2017
http://www.dw.com/zh/两会提案中有哪些奇葩和禁果/a-37943421

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Token dissent plummets in China as comrade Xi's power grows
Bloomberg News, March 16, 2017
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-15/token-dissent-plummets-in-china-as-comrade-xi-s-power-increases

如中国严控空气质量每年可少三百万人早亡 (Three million premature deaths could be avoided if China takes air pollution control seriously)
British Broadcasting Corporation, March 16, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-39285272

港澳人大选举不得接受外国资助 防干预 维国安 (No foreign sponsors allowed in election of Hong Kong and Macau representatives to NPC to prevent intervention and maintain national security)
Radio France Internationale, March 15, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/政治/20170315-港澳人大选举不得接受外国资助-防干预-维国安

Hong Kong (香港)

陳文敏:香港已履行23條立法責任 (Johannes Chan: Hong Kong has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility to enact laws for Art. 23)
InmediaHK, March 15, 2017
http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1048240

香港原立法会主席曾钰成爆料 参选特首计划遭北京劝退 (Hong Kong former Legco chairman Jasper Tsang said Bejing talked him out of joining CE election)
Radio Free Asia, March 15, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/wsw-03152017102504.html

Related:
Beijing discouraged me from entering leadership race, says ex-LegCo president Jasper Tsang
Hong Kong Free Press, March 15, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/03/15/beijing-discouraged-me-from-entering-leadership-race-says-ex-legco-president-jasper-tsang/

China’s “two sessions” delegates surprisingly outspoken on Hong Kong matters
South China Morning Post, March 16, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2079391/chinas-two-sessions-delegates-surprisingly-outspoken

Three Hong Kong protesters become first to be convicted of rioting during Mong Kok clashes
South China Morning Post, March 16, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2079412/three-hong-kong-protesters-become-first-be-convicted

Commentary (评论)

Xinjiang’s rapidly evolving security state
The Jamestown Foundation, March 14, 2017
https://jamestown.org/program/xinjiangs-rapidly-evolving-security-state/