Access to Justice (司法公正)

辦讀書會被捕 曾談六四 毛左青年獲釋認妥協 (Young Maoists released in Guangdong after being detained for organizing reading groups and talking about June Fourth)
Mingpao, January 18, 2018
https://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20180118/s00013/1516211636727

北京律师被拒办理护照“出境或危害国家安全” (Beijing-based rights lawyer not allowed to apply for passport, police claims his “going abroad may endanger national security”)
Voice of America, January 18, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/Chinese-Rights-Lawyer-Yu-Wensheng-Denied-Passport-Application-20180117/4211426.html

高智晟失踪逾五个月 妻耿和国内家人被警告 (Rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng disappeared for 5 months, wife and family warned by police)
Radio Free Asia, January 17, 2018
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql2-01172018103129.html

China seeks to export growing repression, lack of freedom at home: Freedom House
自由之家2018全球自由度排行 中国再列不自由国家
Radio Free Asia, January 17, 2018
EN: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/repression-export-01172018101604.html
CH: http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-01172018103233.html

中国外交部：刘霞“依法享有一切权利” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Liu Xia enjoys all rights in accordance with the laws)
Deutsche Welle, January 17, 2018
http://bit.ly/2mSjeK7

“坦白从宽”能不能坐实，18地区试点用数据“说话” (Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate report that in year 1 of pilot program, over 100,000 criminal defendants received lenient sentences after providing confessions)
NPC WeChat Public Account, January 17, 2018
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1954616

In China, your spouse’s secret debts can no longer drag you down
South China Morning Post, January 17, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2128695/china-revises-marriage-law-definition-joint-liability-protect

Access to Information (信息公开)

China’s VPN crackdown may aid government surveillance
中国整顿VPN引发驻华机构担忧政府监控
The Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2018
EN: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-vpn-crackdown-may-aid-government-surveillance-1516189155
CH: http://cn.wsj.com/gb/20180118/bgh112906.asp

曝中学教科书删文革 微博帐号被查封 (Weibo account censored for spreading news about Cultural Revolution being downplayed in history textbooks)
Radio France Internationale, January 17, 2018
http://bit.ly/2mNKR7h

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

趙紫陽逝世13周年骨灰未入土 民眾赴故居悼念 (Public commemorate Zhao Ziyang at his former Beijing residence 13 years after his death)
Radio Television Hong Kong, January 17, 2018
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1375766-20180117.htm

Government Accountability (政府问责)

全国统战部长会议：今年要加强新的社会阶层人士统战工作 (United Front to work more on people from “new social hierarchy” in 2018)
United Front WeChat Public Account, January 18, 2018
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1956788

Cities in China's Hebei province still top list of smoggiest places
Reuters, January 18, 2018
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/cities-in-china-s-hebei-province-still-top-list-of-smoggiest-places-9872126

李克强动员农民工返乡创业被指习近平版上山下乡 (Li Keqiang encouraging migrant workers to back to their rural hometowns accused of being Xi Jinping’s version of Down to the Countryside Movement)
Radio France Internationale, January 18, 2018
http://bit.ly/2DgOhp6

Muslim children in Chinese county banned from attending religious events over break
Reuters, January 17, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2128670/muslim-children-chinese-county-banned-attending-religious-events

Chinese communist party to “resolutely” exclude “Janus-faced" members
The Diplomat, January 16, 2018
https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/chinese-communist-party-to-resolutely-exclude-janus-faced-members/

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China said to be testing facial recognition system to monitor Muslim-dominated Xinjiang region
Bloomberg, January 18, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2129473/china-testing-facial-recognition-system-monitor-muslim-dominated

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

共谍案从何说起？王炳忠与周泓旭之间的五个关键字 (Communist spies in Taiwan: The story of Wang Ping-chung and Zhou Hongxu)
The Initium, January 18, 2018
https://theinitium.com/article/20180118-taiwan-zhou-hong-xu-and-wang-ping-chung-in-spy-probe/

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong pro-independence protest leader appears in court for “rioting”
Reuters, January 18, 2018
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-court-riot/hong-kong-pro-independence-protest-leader-appears-in-court-for-rioting-idUSKBN1F70ZJ

Related:
Communist Party mouthpiece accuses Hong Kong university student unions of “selling” independence under guise of free speech
South China Morning Post, January 18, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2129509/communist-party-mouthpiece-attacks-hong-kong-university

Hong Kong’s barristers go to the polls for tightest contest in years
South China Morning Post, January 18, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2128690/hong-kongs-barristers-go-polls-tightest-contest-years

Hong Kong justice minister “hiding from legislature” over illegal structures scandal
South China Morning Post, January 18, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2128713/hong-kong-justice-minister-hiding-legislature-over-illegal

Legislature rejects move to censure pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho over “killing” remarks
Hong Kong Free Press, January 18, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/01/18/legislature-rejects-move-censure-pro-beijing-lawmaker-junius-ho-killing-remarks/

Related:
何君堯：愛國心來自岳飛，愛港心來自李光耀 (Junius Ho claims his love for the state comes from Yue Fei, a military general in Song Dynasty who fought against Mongol invasion, and his love for Hong Kong comes from Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore)
Mingpao, January 18, 2018
https://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20180118/s00001/1516243836704

Commentary (评论)

China: Rights crackdown goes global
中国：打压人权扩及全球
Human Rights Watch, January 18, 2018
EN: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/01/18/china-rights-crackdown-goes-global
CH: https://www.hrw.org/zh-hans/news/2018/01/18/313834

The Guardian view on China’s spreading influence: look in the gift horse’s mouth
The Guardian, January 17, 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/17/the-guardian-view-on-chinas-spreading-influence-look-in-the-gift-horses-mouth

Stretching the Basic Law to fit Hong Kong’s high-speed rail plan puts “One Country, Two Systems” at risk
South China Morning Post, January 17, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2128635/stretching-basic-law-fit-hong-kongs-high-speed-rail-plan

Carrie Lam, Lord Ashdown’s report is not “foreign meddling” – it reflects Britain’s commitment to the Handover
Hong Kong Free Press, January 17, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/01/17/carrie-lam-lord-ashdowns-report-not-foreign-meddling-reflects-britains-commitment-handover/