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.

Monday, March 25, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

坚持不懈深化反恐怖斗争 以优异成绩庆祝新中国成立70周年 (Zhao Kezhi, Minister of Public Security: “ We must intensify the support for counterterrorism and stability maintenance work in Xinjiang” d)
Legal Daily, March 25, 2019

U.S. official denounces “choreographed” visits to China’s Xinjiang
Reuters, March 24, 2019

Architect of China’s Muslim camps Chen Quanguo expected to stay on in Xinjiang for now
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2019

Uyghur Muslims forbidden to pray or grow beards in China’s “re-education” camps, former detainee reveals
The Independent, March 23, 2019

Related:
Eat pork, speak Chinese, no beards: Muslim former detainee tells of China camp trauma
Agence France-Presse, March 22, 2019

Turkey treads tricky path with China’s Muslim minorities
Agence France-Presse, March 22, 2019

China’s Uyghur detention camps may be the largest mass incarceration since the Holocaust
The New Statesman, March 21, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

公共法律服务建设正当时 法律援助全力参与见实效 (Government strengthens legal aid services; encourages public awareness, increased use of assistance)
Legal Daily, March 24, 2019

Court in China’s Sichuan postpones trial of Tiananmen massacre liquor makers
Radio Free Asia, March 22, 2019

Background: Ge Jueping 戈觉平
Chinese Human Rights Defenders, March 22, 2019

Labor rights website editor Wei Zhili arrested in China; another is missing
Committee to Protect Journalists, March 21, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

中国官员恐吓意大利女记者引抗议 (Chinese officials threaten Italian reporter during Xi’s visit, politicians speak out)
Voice of America, March 25, 2019

Related:
Italian Journalist 'Threatened' by Chinese Official in Rome: Newspaper
Radio Free Asia, March 25, 2019

限古令升級 禁播至6月 網絡影視平台古裝片銳減 (China blocks historical dramas on all platforms until June, condemns “twisting history” for entertainment)
Ming Pao, March 24, 2019

China now has an elite league of “red” universities
Radio Free Asia, March 22, 2019

China and global academic freedom
China Digital Times, March 22, 2019

Related:
NYC forum stresses educational exchange between U.S., China
Sina, March 24, 2019

Learning English is OK, says Party-backed media
Sixth Tone, March 21, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Wife of vanished Chinese Interpol chief Meng Hongwei urges French President Emmanuel Macron to raise case with Xi Jinping
South China Morning Post, March 25, 2019

中国推特用户再被抓 疫苗维权人士遭刑拘 (Chinese citizen arrested for using Twitter to “spread inappropriate content”; activists in vaccine scandal under administrative detention)
Voice of America, March 25, 2019

中国公民运动人士丁家喜被禁出境 (Headedto Hong Kong, Chinese lawyer and activist Ding Jiaxi barred from leaving country)
Voice of America, March 24, 2019

China risks “the legitimacy of the Communist Party’s regime” without changes, says law professor
South China Morning Post, March 22, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

放开放宽城市落户限制 加快消除城乡户籍壁垒 都市圈发展催生新型户籍制度改革 (Urbanization is catalyst for hukou reform: New guiding opinion urges relaxation of relocation restrictions to facilitate flow of people)
Legal Daily, March 25, 2019

China pledges openness in hopes of reaching a trade deal
The New York Times, March 24, 2019

Related:
當義大利向「一帶一路」低頭,中資帶來的會是期待還是傷害? (As Italy bows down to BRI, would Chinese investments bring hope or harm?)
The News Lens, March 25, 2019

Macron, Merkel and Juncker to meet China’s Xi on Tuesday
Euroactiv, March 22, 2019

U.S. imposes sanctions on Chinese companies for helping North Korea
Al Jazeera, March 22, 2019

China chemical plant blast kills 62; Xi orders probe
Reuters, March 22, 2019

Related:
The day after the “3-21” devastating Yancheng explosion: 47 dead, 640 injured
What’s On Weibo, March 22, 2019

韓國瑜訪澳門再會「中聯辦」高層,學者憂北京在建立台灣「代理人」(Kaohsiung mayor’s visits to mainland liaison offices in Hong Kong, Macau spark concern of Beijing’s move to establish “agent” in Taiwan)
The News Lens, March 24, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

U.S. companies fuel surveillance in China as Chinese firms export it
China Digital Times, March 22, 2019

Finnish authorities to investigate Nokia-branded phones sending data to China
The Verge, March 22, 2019

Related:
Finland to investigate Nokia-branded phones after data breach report
Reuters, March 21, 2019

Apple’s Tim Cook urges China to continue to open up its economy
Agence France-Presse, March 23, 2019

AT&T CEO says China’s Huawei hinders carriers from shifting suppliers for 5G
Reuters, March 21, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

【逃犯條例】批建議損台灣人安全 台陸委會:倘修例 或對港發旅遊警示 (Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council says it might issue travel warning for Hong Kong if proposed extradition law amendments go through)
The Stand News, March 25, 2019

Related:
Hong Kong’s plan to allow extraditions to mainland China and Taiwan likely to be uneven, scholars say
South China Morning Post, March 25, 2019

涉立會內搶行政主任手機案開審 許智峯否認控罪 (Trial begins for democrat Ted Hui’s phone-grabbing case, Hui denies all charges)
Radio Television Hong Kong, March 25, 2019

Hong Kong’s former chief secretary Anson Chan says leaders need to do a better job assuring world that city remains autonomous
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2019

Related:
Hong Kong’s former No. 2 Anson Chan meets Mike Pence in Washington as U.S. report criticises Beijing “intervention” in city’s affairs
South China Morning Post, March 23, 2019

【暴動罪重審】德國會人權主席:裁決無改中國極權事實 港人展巨大勇氣承擔 (Gyde Jensen, head of German Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, says judgment in Edward Leung riot case does not change the fact of Chinese dictatorship)
The Stand News, March 24, 2019

Commentary (评论)

What will be left of Hong Kong’s autonomy in 2047?
Hong Kong Free Press, March 24, 2019

From hope to despair: How Carrie Lam’s governance is putting “one country, two systems” at risk
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2019

歐陽娜娜是不是台獨?「大祖國」時代的文革式批鬥 (Struggle session in the “Big Nation” age: Is Nana Ou-yang really pro-independence?)
The News Lens, March 24, 2019

Hong Kong’s solution to a housing problem that doesn’t exist: Dump HK$1 trillion into the sea off Lantau
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2019

Europe’s self obsession nurtured its naivety about China for the wrong reasons. It’s time for a reality check
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2019

Are Taiwan’s citizens willing to fight against China? According to a recent survey, the public in Taiwan is not war shy after all
The Diplomat, March 22, 2019

China’s reputation for long-range planning is wildly exaggerated
The Diplomat, March 22, 2019

China oppresses Muslims at home, countenances terror abroad
Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2019