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.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

南昌大学遭性侵女生向法院提起诉讼(Sexual assault student victim sues university, 1st case of its kind in China)
China Women’s News, July 18, 2018
http://www.china-woman.com/2018-07/18/content_215001.htm

李锦莲申请4100万国家赔偿:亏欠家人太多,坚决要求追责(Man seeks 41 million yuan state compensation for forced confession, false imprisonment)
The Paper, July 18, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2272744

偷拍举报多名法官违纪违法,湖南商人因非法获取信息获刑4年(Whistleblower on judges receives 4-year sentence for illegally obtaining personal information)
China Youth Daily, July 17, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2269557

顺德31名老赖子女读高价民校查实,法院:责令退学或转校(Court orders high-tuition private schools to remove debt defaulters’ children)
Guangzhou Daily, July 18, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2272369

锁定中国人权审议 台NGO告上联合国 (Taiwan Covenants Watch brings Li Mingzhe case to UN OHCHR)
Deutsche Welle, July 17, 2018
https://www.dw.com/zh/锁定中国人权审议-台ngo告上联合国/a-44704314?maca=chi-rss-chi-ca-1044-rdf&zhongwen=simp

Access to Information (信息公开)

US academic and critic of Beijing censorship loses job at top Chinese university
South China Morning Post, July 18, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2155782/us-academic-and-critic-beijing-censorship-loses-job-top

China closes a fifth of foreign university partnerships in 1 year
中国终止234个本科以上中外合作办学机构和项目
Financial Times, July 18, 2018
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001078542/ce?ccode=LanguageSwitch

中国各地一些家庭教会继续受到当局打压(Chinese house churches subject to severe surveillance by authorities)
Voice of America, July 18, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/China-Tightens-Control-Over-Family-Churches-20180718/4487568.html

“剑网2018”启动 新浪微博:内容抄袭情节恶劣将禁言7天 |寻找中国创客 (“Sword Net 2018” begins, Weibo to ban accounts for posting copyright-protected content)
Beijing News, July 17, 2018
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/invest/2018/07/17/495479.html

Airline says it shut down after China labelled Palau an “illegal destination” over its Taiwan recognition
Hong Kong Free Press, July 18, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/18/airline-says-shut-china-labelled-palau-illegal-destination-taiwan-recognition/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

China film: Box office hit moves China to act on cancer drugs
BBC News, July 18, 2018
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-44876528

生态环境部:今年6月收到举报较去年同期增长100.5%(Ministry of Ecology and Environment receives over 65,000 complaints in June, doubled that from same period last year )
Legal Daily, July 18, 2018
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2018-07/18/content_7596725.htm?node=5955

China detains Guangdong artist who planned ink-splash installation
广州艺术家苍鹰被刑拘或涉泼墨案
Radio Free Asia, July 18, 2018
EN: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-detains-guangdong-artist-who-planned-ink-splash-installation-07182018120116.html
CH: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf2-07182018100430.html

青海藏区网控持续 老年牧民遭强制送养(Tibetan herdsmen are forced to live in nursing homes as authorities tightens area surveillance)
Radio free Asia, July 18, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/dz-07182018100911.html

异议人士管桂林获法国暂时庇护(Chinese dissident is granted temporary asylum in France)
Radio Free Asia, July 18, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/gf1-07182018100526.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

甘肃省原副省长虞海燕受贿案一审宣判:有期徒刑十五年(Former Lieutenant governor of Gansu receives 15 years in prison for corruption)
People’s Daily App, July 18, 2018
https://3w.huanqiu.com/a/m-4eba6c1165e562a55ba262377aef/7EDPQaegXPq?agt=8

湖北省政府原副秘书长贺盛有被开除党籍和公职,涉嫌受贿等(Former vice secretary of Hubei is expelled from Party and removed from job for corruption allegations)
Hubei Daily, July 18, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2268223

财政部深夜问责四省违规举债 首次问责地方人大领导(Ministry of Finance to hold local leaders accountable for illegal debt financing)
Legal Daily, July 18, 2018
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2018-07/18/content_7596795.htm?node=5955

Related:
内蒙古纪委监委:政府违法违规举债,实行终身追责(Discipline Inspection Bureau of Inner Mongolia Province issues guideline on prosecuting government officials for illegal debt financing, removes statute of limitation)
North News WeChat, July 18, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2272508

媒体刊发监督报道并称有干部要求删稿,官方:正在调查(Local Trade and Industry Bureau official is investigated for ordering journalists to remove hospital malpractice reports)
Chongqing Morning News App, July 18, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2274731

乌兰察布市政协原主席常永福接受纪律审查和监察调查(Former CPPCC Chairman of Ulanqab City is investigated for disciplinary and legal violations)
Beijing News, July 18, 2018
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2018/07/18/495639.html

四起环境监测数据造假案已宣判 (Criminal convictions are handed down for fabrication of environmental monitoring data)
Legal Daily, July 17, 2018
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2018-07/17/content_7595949.htm?node=5955

包钢集团原董事长崔臣被查 已退休6年多 (Former board chairman of Baotou Steel Group is investigated, 6 years into retirement)
Sina News, July 17, 2018
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2018-07-17/doc-ihfkffam2660200.shtml

重庆教育界女贪官落马:篡改履历,将学生当做发财路径 (Former dean of Chongqing Security Technology Vocational College is investigated for bribery and falsifying documents, 4 months after retirement)
The Paper, July 17, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2269623

China’s official figures: lies, damned lies, or just changing statistical methods?
South China Morning Post, July 17, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2155698/chinas-official-figures-lies-damned-lies-or-just-changing

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

中国电信提供苹果中国用户云储存再掀担忧(State-owned China Telecom to provide cloud service for Apple users, privacy concerns loom)
Voice of America, July 18, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/news-china-telecom-in-control-of-icloud-data-storage-20180718/4487694.html

Beijing did a tech reality check on its industrial champions. The results were not amazing
South China Morning Post, July 18, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2155862/beijing-did-tech-reality-check-its-industrial-champions-results

Beijing’s new Zaha Hadid-designed airport to showcase latest facial recognition technology
South China Morning Post, July 18, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/2155606/beijings-new-zaha-hadid-designed-airport-showcase-latest-facial-recognition

广东劝阻潜在电诈受骗事主15万余人,反诈先锋APP上线(Guangdong uses app to alert users about potential scams)
China News, July 18, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2273296

Hong Kong (香港)

Video: “A tiger with broken teeth” – anti-discrimination laws fail to prevent school segregation, legislative panel hears
Hong Kong Free Press, July 17, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/17/video-tiger-broken-teeth-anti-discrimination-laws-fail-prevent-school-segregation-legislative-panel-hears/

Hong Kong may ban political party that seeks independence from China
打击分裂主义,港府考虑取缔香港民族党 The New York Times, July 18, 2018
https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20180718/hong-kong-ban-independence-party/dual/

九七后首例 港府倡禁港独政党运作 (Concerns over Article 23 rises as HK government seeks ban on pro-independence party and emphasizes “untouchable red line” of national sovereignty)
Deutsche Welle, July 17, 2018
https://www.dw.com/zh/九七后首例-港府倡禁港独政党运作

Related:
Plan to ban pro-independence party marks new legal limits on speech in Hong Kong, says ex-lawmaker Nathan Law
Hong Kong Free Press, July 17, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/17/plan-ban-pro-independence-party-marks-new-legal-limits-speech-hong-kong-says-ex-lawmaker-nathan-law/

What Hong Kong crackdown on pro-independence party means for freedom in the city
South China Morning Post, July 18, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2155716/what-hong-kong-crackdown-pro-independence-party-means

FCO statement on the Hong Kong National Party
Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, July 17, 2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fco-statement-on-the-hong-kong-national-party

梁美芬認為主張自決組織不應登記或註冊成社團 (Basic Law Committee member Pricilla Leung says organizations advocating “self-determination” should not be registered)
Radio Television Hong Kong, July 18, 2018
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1407599-20180718.htm

Students have no need to discuss Hong Kong independence, says Education Sec. amid potential ban on party
Hong Kong Free Press, July 18, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/18/students-no-need-discuss-hong-kong-independence-says-education-sec-amid-potential-ban-party/

More Hongkongers complain to Ombudsman in 2017-18 about access to official information
South China Morning Post, July 18, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2155713/more-hongkongers-complain-ombudsman-2017-18-about-access

Freedom of speech fears see public confidence in Hong Kong sink to record low
South China Morning Post, July 18, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2155871/freedom-speech-fears-sees-public-confidence-hong

Commentary (评论)

How to combat China’s rise in tech: Federal spending, not tariffs
The New York Times, July 18, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/technology/china-trade-tech.html

Banning separatist party must be done within the local law
South China Morning Post, July 18, 2018
https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2155877/banning-separatist-party-must-be-done-within-local-law

純粹以國家安全之名禁制組織,有違國際人權標準(Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor: Banning Hong Kong National Party is violation of international human rights standard)
Inmediahk.net, July 18, 2018
https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1058402