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.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

“Release them immediately”: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets Mihrigul Tursun and other Uyghurs, demands China end mass incarceration
Agence France-Presse, March 28, 2019

Related:
维吾尔女子告诉蓬佩奥:我已失去一切,无法再沉默 (“I have lost everything; I can’t stay silent anymore,” Uyghur woman tells Pompeo)
Voice of America, March 28, 2019

Without papers, Uyghurs fear for their future in Turkey
Reuters, March 27, 2019

New (secret) Sinicization law hits Chinese Muslims
Bitter Winter, March 26, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Yu released after being detained outside US embassy
South China Morning Post, March 28, 2019

Related:
709 律師王宇 美國大使館外被公安帶走 原赴使館講座 (709 lawyer Wang Yu snatched by authorities on her way to domestic violence talk at U.S. embassy in Beijing)
The Stand News, March 27, 2019

China: RSF calls for release of three journalists investigating workers conditions
Reporters Without Borders, March 27, 2019

Related:
Urgent Action: Labor activist detained without lawyer
Amnesty International, March 27, 2019

Foxconn jump survivor on friendship with detained activist
China Digital Times, March 27, 2019

王全璋被判囚四年半 妻李文足至今未獲判決書 (Wife Li Wenzu blocked from Tianjin court while demanding written court judgment on Wang Quanzhang’s conviction)
The Stand News, March 27, 2019

周强出席推进法治人才培养工作座谈会强调:坚持理论联系实际 加快培养高素质法治人才 (Supreme People’s Court President Zhou Qiang: Prioritize ideological and political nurturing of legal students and professionals to enhance their political caliber and Party spirit)
Legal Daily, March 27, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

Scholars react to Xi critic’s Tsinghua suspension
China Digital Times, March 27, 2019

【立此存照】发现手机中装有VPN 给予行政处罚警告 (Activist receives administrative punishment for VPN installed on phone, accessing overseas websites)
China Digital Times, March 27, 2019

No earrings, tattoos or cleavage: Inside China’s war on fun
The New York Times, March 27, 2019

30,000 monks and nuns in Tibet take exams on laws
Global Times, March 26, 2019

“Kimono” showdown stokes anti-Japanese prejudice in China
CNN, March 26, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Beijing “signals shift” on Dalai Lama with new white paper on Tibet
South China Morning Post, March 28, 2019

Online outrage over Chinese anti-gang campaign targeting mentally ill and parents of dead children
South China Morning Post, March 27, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warns of “Hong Kong example” on Hawaii stopover as she vows to boost military
Agence France-Presse, March 28, 2019

谱写新时代中国梦的雪域篇章——以习近平同志为核心的党中央治边稳藏富民新实践 (“Securing borders a prerequisite to securing nation, securing Tibet a prerequisite to securing borders”; Tibet will be model for national ethnic unity)
People’s Daily, March 28, 2019

China’s latest chemical plant explosion was avoidable
China Dialogue, March 26, 2019

欧洲理事会主席:人权至少与贸易一样重要 (Human rights is at least as important as trade, says European Council president Donald Tusk on agenda of upcoming China summit)
Radio France Internationale, March 27, 2019

After Xi's visit to France, CPC expels former Interpol chief
The Diplomat, March 28, 2019

中国信徒家庭聚会非法 广州高额奖励举报人 (Guangzhou introduces reward for reporting family church gatherings)
Radio Free Asia, March 27, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Google is conducting a secret “performance review” of its censored China search project
The Intercept, March 28, 2019

Google’s AI work in China spurs CEO sitdown with Pentagon brass
Bloomberg News, March 27, 2019

How Microsoft found a Huawei driver that opened systems to attack
Ars Technica, March 27, 2019

U.S. is forcing a Chinese firm to sell gay dating app Grindr
Wired, March 27, 2019

TikTok: World’s most successful video app faces security concerns
Deutsche Welle, March 27, 2019

Worried about Huawei? Take a closer look at Tencent
The Diplomat, March 26, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong risks China-style “interpretation” of freedoms, says UK, as latest report adopts tougher tone
Hong Kong Free Press, March 28, 2019

Related:
英國發表香港半年報告 批選舉政治篩選 高度自治被削弱 (UK’s biannual report on Hong Kong warns of reduction of autonomy, citing “politically motivated expulsion” in elections and Mallet visa ban)
The Stand News, March 27, 2019

The six-monthly report on Hong Kong: 1 July to 31 December, 2018
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, March 27, 2019

立法會否決要求擱置設立中港移交逃犯安排議案 (LegCo vetoes democrat’s motion to shelve proposed extradition law amendments)
Radio Television Hong Kong, March 27, 2019

Related:
Lawmakers threaten to block controversial extradition bill as Hong Kong government struggles to win business support for watered-down plan
South China Morning Post, March 27, 2019

民主派周日遊行反對修訂《逃犯條例》 斥比23條立法更辣 (Democrats to hold march on Sunday to oppose amendments to fugitive laws)
Inmediahk.net, March 27, 2019

“We need an answer”: Hong Kong lawmakers slam government for waiving HK$129.7 million worth of stamp duties for Beijing’s proxies in property market
South China Morning Post, March 27, 2019

New report says Hong Kong National Anthem Law is “legal malware” which threatens rule of law and freedoms
Hong Kong Watch, March 27, 2019

Related:
Legal Malware: Hong Kong’s National Anthem Ordinance
Hong Kong Watch, March 27, 2019

Two land activists jailed after Hong Kong top court rejects protest case appeal bid
Hong Kong Free Press, March 27, 2019

港理大首聘中国校长转任 滕锦光禁校园谈港独 誓进军大湾区 (Hong Kong Polytechnic University hires new headmaster from Shenzhen: No talk of Hong Kong independence allowed on campus, must seek greater cooperation with Greater Bay Area)
Radio France Internationale, March 27, 2019

Commentary (评论)

Small cracks in China’s Great Firewall: An app launched by the propaganda ministry has sparked online derision — and a rare public discussion about censorship
Financial Times, March 27, 2019

最后的达赖喇嘛——一介僧侣对峙共产强权的神话与思考 (The last Dalai Lama: The legend and reflections on a monk standing up to Communist superpower)
Radio France Internationale, March 27, 2019

Choking on spaghetti: What went wrong in Xi’s Italian visit
Bitter Winter, March 25, 2019