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, January 08, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

China says UN officials can visit Xinjiang as long as they “avoid interfering in domestic matters”
South China Morning Post, January 7, 2019

Related:
China’s Xinjiang tour should have fooled no one
Human Rights Watch, January 7, 2019

邀请外交官视察新疆 政治宣导或客观报导? (Inviting foreign diplomats to Xinjiang: Political propaganda or objective reporting?)
Deutsche Welle, January 8, 2019

China plans to “sinicize” Islam as Muslims warn of eradication campaign
Radio Free Asia, January 7, 2019

Xinjiang: Beijing’s chilling attempt to erase and replace Uyghur identity
Christian Science Monitor, January 7, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

In China, rights lawyer likely to be disbarred for defending client
Voice of America, January 7, 2019

Canadian men detained in China unaware of what charges they may face
The Guardian, January 7, 2019

挑战最高法院 崔永元称受死亡恐吓 (CCTV host Cui Yongyuan faces death threats for revealing controversy in Supreme People’s Court stolen-papers case)
Radio Free Asia, January 7, 2019

官方新招打压维权人士 挟持社交网帐号发文构陷 (New tactics against activists: Twitter accounts hacked, illegal posts planted to bring charges)
Radio Free Asia, January 6, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

China turns up heat on individual users of foreign websites
Financial Times, January 7, 2019

Related:
Guangdong man fined $150 for using a VPN
Sixth Tone, January 7, 2019

网络严控:中国网民翻墙受罚 (Chinese citizens punished for going over Great Firewall, posts on foreign websites used as evidence)
Radio Free Asia, January 7, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Translation: Chan Kin-man’s farewell lecture
China Digital Times, January 6, 2019

北大教授郑也夫促中共体面退场且批评读书人逆来顺受令人刮目 (Peking University professor urges CPC to step down from history’s stage)
Radio France Internationale, January 8, 2019

北大左翼毛派学生长沙被抓后遭退学 (Peking University student activist arrested, disappeared, then expelled from school after attending Mao memorial event)
Voice of America, January 8, 2019

How the state is co-opting religion in China
China Digital Times, January 7, 2019

湖南塵肺工人重返深圳  以繩宣示討回公道的決心 (Hunan workers with pneumoconiosis seek justice in Shenzhen after negotiated settlement is overturned by court )
Red Balloon Solidarity, January 7, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

疫苗立法拟重奖内部举报人 制售假疫苗最高可处货值金额30倍罚款 (Draft vaccine safety law proposes reward for whistleblowers, contains no express prohibition on infant testing)
People’s Daily, January 8, 2019

Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump discuss China’s “unlawful” detention of two Canadians, agree to seek their release
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2019

Related:
“Nothing held back” as Canadian delegation raises detainee issue in China
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, January 6, 2019

WSJ Investigation: China Offered to Bail Out Troubled Malaysian Fund in Return for Deals
Wall Street Journal, January 7, 2019

Sri Lanka questions reliance on China
Euromoney, January 7, 2019

Ex-Beijing vice mayor under investigation for corruption
Caixin, January 7, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Amid intensified scrutiny, Baidu removes 50 billion pieces of “harmful” content
TechNode, January 7, 2019

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

Chinese tech investors flee Silicon Valley as Trump tightens scrutiny
Reuters, January 7, 2019

U.S. officials warn health researchers: China may be trying to steal your data
The New York Times, January 6, 2019

Related:
As China and U.S. spar over tech, scientists would rather not talk about their talent awards
South China Morning Post, January 6, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong should set new guidelines for Justice Sec. following controversy, says Bar Assoc. head
Hong Kong Free Press, January 8, 2019

Woman who claims sexual assault in leased section of Hong Kong high-speed rail station told it is a matter for mainland Chinese police
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2019

Related:
China did not have to notify Hong Kong about Express Rail Terminal arrest, says Chief Sec.
Hong Kong Free Press, January 7, 2019

忧言论自由 新闻团体将会港府官员 (Hong Kong press organizations to meet with government on freedom of expression concerns)
Radio Free Asia, January 7, 2019

政府提高長者綜援年齡資格 建制、民主派議員同批剝削長者 (Government faces criticisms from all sides over raising age requirement for elderly benefits to 65 years)
The Stand News, January 7, 2019

Commentary (评论)

「一國兩制」作為「政治謊言」、「政治幻想」與「政治笑話」(One Country, Two Systems as “political lies,” “political fantasy,” and a “political joke”)
Inmediahk.net, January 8, 2019

Xi Jinping disconnected from reality
Taipei Times, January 8, 2019

“Dozens of my in-laws vanished.” The other 9/11 of Rushan Abbas
Bitter Winter, January 8, 2019

China is shooting itself in the foot over Huawei
Foreign Policy, January 7, 2019

Bid farewell to Reform and Opening Up –– On China’s perilous situation and its future options
China Change, January 7, 2019

How the state is co-opting religion in China
Foreign Affairs, January 7, 2019