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, February 26, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

在美维吾尔人呼吁关注遭关押亲人 (Uyghurs in U.S. call for relatives to speak out on family members in camps)
Deutsche Welle, February 25, 2019

Turkey, Britain raise China's treatment of Uyghurs at UN rights forum
Reuters, February 25, 2019

Related:
土耳其在联合国人权理事会批评中国虐待新疆穆斯林 (At UN Human Rights Council, Turkey criticizes China’s treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang)
Voice of America, February 26, 2019

Mohammed bin Salman turns blind eye on Uyghur plight during China visit
Al Bawaba, February 24, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

最高法王林清认罪 崔永元失联 (Whistle blower judge Wang Linqing confesses, muckraking TV reporter Cui Yongyuan goes missing following court investigation)
Radio Free Asia, February 25, 2019

“戒网瘾死亡”案 家属很后悔 (18-year-old boy dies after being handcuffed and tortured in Internet addiction “school,” court sentences responsible personnel)
Legal Daily, February 25, 2019

北京一警察倒卖公民犯罪记录5万余条,获利32万被判4年 (Beijing police officer sentenced to 4 years in prison, fined RMB 320,000 for selling 50,000 citizens’ criminal records)
The Paper, February 25, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

《還願》風波裡,讓中國玩家們最恐懼其實是這件事 (Row over horror game “Devotion” is the true source of fear for China's players)
The Initium, February 26, 2019

Related:
Hit horror game ‘Devotion’ sparks heated debate on social media
TechNode, February 25, 2019

內地語文教材刪陳勝吳廣起義文章 微博稱「違規」刪除內容 出版社:免與歷史教材重覆 (Deletion of uprising against Qin rule from language textbooks: Netizens complain but publisher says “it's already in history books”)
Ming Pao, February 25, 2019

“Modern” religious tyranny: Return of village loudspeakers
Bitter Winter, February 24, 2019

The “bots” of Weibo: How fake automated Chinese social media accounts are being used as a Trojan horse for dissent
China Channel, February 22, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

无国界记者将发布报告提醒国际社会警惕中国大外宣影响 (Reporters Without Borders to issue report warning against China’s pressure on foreign media)
Voice of America, February 26, 2019

Chinese internet users turn to the blockchain to fight against government censorship
The Conversation, February 25, 2019

Quakes spark mass anti-fracking protest in China’s Sichuan
Radio Free Asia, February 25, 2019

冯正虎撤销针对政府的出国案系列诉讼 (Activist Feng Zhenghu drops claims against authorities after travel ban withdrawn)
Radio Free Asia, February 25, 2019

Liu Xia to exhibit in Taipei
Taipei Times, February 24, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

“敏感之年”2019:习近平的焦虑与不安
2019 is a sensitive year for China. Xi is nervous.
The New York Times, February 25, 2019

U.S. Justice Department official calls China a “foreign adversary” that lacks commitment to rule of law
South China Morning Post, February 26, 2019

Related:
Rod Rosenstein criticizes China’s “transactional approach to the law”
Financial Times, February 25, 2019

China’s rise in the Middle East: Beyond economics
The Diplomat, February 25, 2019

Chinese government funding may have been used for “CRISPR babies” project, documents suggest
Stat News, February 25, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Huawei to build Saudi Arabia’s 5G infrastructure
Caixin, February 25, 2019

Nokia says 5G would not be delayed by ban on Chinese suppliers
Reuters, February 25, 2019

China’s technology challenge is bigger than just Huawei, British spymaster says
Reuters, February 25, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

釋囚疑懲教所偽造假期紀錄報警 引述警指需請示懲教 邵家臻:官官相衛 (Police say they must “consult Correctional Services” before accepting former prisoner’s complaint of prison staff falsifying records)
The Stand News, February 26, 2019

政府將破例「未研究先估算」明日大嶼人工島成本效益 (On Lantau reclamation scheme, government breaks rule to issue cost-benefit estimates without conducting prior studies)
Radio Television Hong Kong, February 25, 2019

Related:
Work on huge Lantau reclamation scheme won’t start until environmental safety is confirmed, senior Hong Kong official Liu Chun-san says
South China Morning Post, February 26, 2019

許智峯批《檔案法》冇罰則:檔案話消失就消失 法改會稱需要討論:唔係咁易講 (Legislator criticizes draft Archives Law for lack of penalty for government noncompliance)
Inmediahk.net, February 25, 2019

港科大台湾学生会遭换五星红旗 (Vandals switched ROC flag in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Taiwan students club stall to PRC flag, student union condemns political attack, university begins investigation)
Radio Free Asia, February 25, 2019

China liaison office increases its Hong Kong property portfolio to more than 280 flats after its latest purchase
South China Morning Post, February 26, 2019

“Cut funding to sports clubs without anti-sex-harassment policies,” Hong Kong’s Equal Opportunities Commission tells government
South China Morning Post, February 25, 2019

Commentary (评论)

The rise of Chinese student power casts further uncertainty over Canada-China ties
SupChina, February 25, 2019

Why some Chinese immigrants living in Canada live in silent fear
Globe and Mail, February 25, 2019

“两会”前学者评中国“净网”的法律依据 (Chinese scholars comment on legal basis for “purifying” China’s Internet)
Voice of America, February 25, 2019

How Xi Jinping became a networked authoritarian thanks to his little red app
The Guardian, February 24, 2019