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.

Friday, January 11, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

U.S. apparel firm cuts off Chinese factory in internment camp
Associated Press, January 11, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Administrative penalties against lawyers: Another strike against professional autonomy and religious freedom
Dui Hua Human Rights Journal, January 10, 2019

探父遭拒 王炳章之女抵华被驱逐 (Jailed activist’s daughter barred from entering country to visit father for first time in 10 years)
Radio Free Asia, January 10, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

China imposes blockchain rules to enable “orderly development”
Reuters, January 11, 2019

Related:
国家网信办发布《区块链信息服务管理规定》(Cyberspace Administration of China announces new blockchain restrictions to target illegal online activities)
The Paper, January 10, 2019

中国VPN用户两人被罚 如何“翻墙”算违法 (When is going over the Great Firewall illegal?)
BBC News, January 10, 2019

Twitter users in China face detention and threats in new Beijing crackdown
The New York Times, January 10, 2019

Chinese censors really don’t want you to watch these sex ed videos
Foreign Policy, January 10, 2019

Closing Confucius Institutes
Inside Higher Ed, January 9, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

China’s #MeToo activists have transformed a generation
Foreign Policy, January 10, 2019

Women’s rights NGO forced to close for being a “suspected illegal social organization”
SupChina, January 10, 2019

Wives of detained Chinese lawyers meet with foreign diplomats
Radio Free Asia, January 10, 2019

2018中国劳动关系概况回顾
The state of labour relations in China, 2018
China Labour Bulletin, January 10, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

教育部:港人可申內地教師資格 須擁護共產黨領導 貫徹黨教育方針 (Ministry of Education: Hong Kongers may apply to be mainland teachers, must uphold CPC leadership and implement party’s education guidelines)
The Stand News, January 11, 2019

3 health officials fired over use of expired polio vaccines
China News Service, January 10, 2019

Canadian MP signals support for Taiwan after China’s recent threat
Focus Taiwan, January 10, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

广东警方推出互联网智能报警平台 (Guangzhou police department launches “smart emergency reporting” platform, supports photos and live videos)
People’s Daily, January 11, 2019

China’s digital silk road is looking more like an iron curtain
Bloomberg, January 10, 2019

U.S. blocks some exports from Huawei’s Silicon Valley unit
Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Legco closes down inquiry into misconduct allegations against CY Leung, for want of first-hand information
South China Morning Post, January 11, 2019

3社工組織促擱置收緊長者綜援申領資格 邵家臻張超雄發動網上聯署 (Social work organizations urge gov’t to shelve tightened age-restriction on elderly benefits, legislators launch online petitions)
Ming Pao, January 10, 2019

Related:
提高長者領取綜援年齡無合理基礎 違反《基本法》社會福利權 (Gov’t decision to raise age-cap for elderly benefit lacks reasonable foundation and is against the Basic Law)
Inmediahk.net, January 11, 2019

Hong Kong moves to criminalize disrespect of China’s national anthem
Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2019

Related:
Hong Kong’s new anthem law: What you can and cannot do
South China Morning Post, January 11, 2019

Commentary (评论)

Clear words give Tsai fighting chance
Taipei Times, January 11, 2019

China’s arrest of Kovrig, Spavor sends chill through us academics
South China Morning Post, January 10, 2019

Hong Kong government wrong to cut elderly welfare
South China Morning Post, January 10, 2019

Video: “One Country, Two Systems” was “brilliant” before Xi Jinping, says ex-Hong Kong governor Chris Patten
Hong Kong Free Press, January 9, 2019