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, October 24, 2018

Xinjiang (新疆)

Tear gas, tasers and textbooks: Inside China’s Xinjiang internment camps
Agence France-Presse, October 24, 2018

人權報告揭年半以來新疆 231 位維族學者「被失蹤」(Uyghur Human Rights Project report reveals 231 Uyghur scholars “disappeared” since April 2017)
The Stand News, October 23, 2018

Related:
The persecution of the intellectuals in the Uyghur region: Disappeared forever?
Uyghur Human Rights Project, October 22, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

“缺席审判”条款引关注,有委员建议将涉黑犯罪纳入适用范围 (NPC Standing Committee member proposes to expand scope of “trials in absentia” provisions to include serious crimes, regardless of availability of defendant)
The Paper, October 24, 2018

两院组织法修订草案:委员“专门法院由谁设置、由谁任免、对谁负责、向谁报告应有明确规制” (NPC Standing Committee proposes clear rules on establishment, appointment, and accountability of special courts)
Beijing News, October 24, 2018

被精神病:网络作家被关两月 (Online writer detained in mental institute for two months for making statements critical of the state)
Radio Free Asia, October 23, 2018

Related:
中国精神病治疗乱象:被精神病 (Bedlam in mental health treatment in China: You are given a mental illness)
Radio Free Asia, October 23, 2018

Access to Information (信息公开)

Ambiguity of Chinese words sparks charges of distortion as U.S.-China tensions rise
South China Morning Post, October 24, 2018

中國社科基金中選研究題目 習近平思想居前列 (Top 7 winners of CASS research funding are projects on Xi Jinping Thought)
The Stand News, October 24, 2018

China quietly opens door to more foreign films
South China Morning Post, October 23, 2018

中国或以反恐理由禁封KakaoTalk与NAVER (China blocks Korean chat app and blog site)
Radio France Internationale, October 23, 2018

A newspaper banned in China is now one of Trump’s biggest defenders
BuzzFeed, October 22, 2018

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Satirist compares Xi Jinping and Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to Winnie the Pooh and Piglet
Hong Kong Free Press, October 23, 2018

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Chinese women golfers told to pull out of Taiwan event - sources
Reuters, October 23, 2018

China jails former prosecutors over tortured Hong Kong businessman Stephen Lau’s death in custody
South China Morning Post, October 23, 2018

Shanghai school food scare triggers city wide kitchen health check
South China Morning Post, October 23, 2018

China attempting to meddle in Taiwan elections: Intelligence chief
Focus Taiwan, October 22, 2018

Draft law revisions suggest public supervision on judicial work
Xinhua, October 22, 2018

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

The Android phone maker that’s more popular than Apple isn’t selling its new iPhone rival in the US
Business Insider, October 22, 2018

Why China can do AI more quickly and effectively than the U.S.
Wired, October 23, 2018

Sri Lanka wants Chinese help to recover phone evidence over “assassination plot”
Reuters, October 24, 2018

Hong Kong (香港)

Lam plays down special place
The Standard, October 24, 2018

British gov’t urges Hong Kong to reconsider “politically motivated” expulsion of journalist
Hong Kong Free Press, October 24, 2018

Related:
Hong Kong media should quell talk of independence, by-election hopeful Chan Hoi-yan says, insisting Victor Mallet case has nothing to do with press freedom
South China Morning Post, October 23, 2018

不受訪、不見敏感人士、不公開活動 入境處向劉曉波好友列三大入境條件 (HK Immigration Office sets three conditions for entry of Liu Xiaobo's friend: no interviews, no public activities, no meeting with “sensitive" individuals)
The Stand News, October 24, 2018

China tests facial recognition at border crossing of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
South China Morning Post, October 24, 2018

劇場編劇甄拔濤被拒入澳門 業界聯署促政府交待 (Drama industry requests “credible response” from Macau government for denying playwright’s entry on public security grounds)
The Stand News, October 24, 2018

Commentary (评论)

In Hong Kong, public consultations are effective – at keeping the public at bay
South China Morning Post, October 24, 2018

Being China means never having to say you’re sorry
The New York Times, October 23, 2018

“一带一路”是中国版马歇尔计划吗? (Is BRI the Chinese version of Marshall Plan?)
Radio Free Asia, October 23, 2018