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, May 06, 2019

June Fourth 30th Anniversary (“六四”三十周年)

Over this past weekend — May 4, 1989:70th anniversary of the 1919 May Fourth Movement: Initiated by students, more than 100,000 march through Beijing. In collaboration with the students, workers and journalists express their demands. Similar rallies are held in cities across the country.

In the following days, students are divided on questions of strategy, with some advocating a return to classes and the establishment of a Dialogue Delegation to press for debate with the government that would be broadcast live, while others opt for a more radical course of action.
See HRIC chronology and resources.

Related:
Why does a student protest held a century ago still matter in China?
The New York Times, May 3, 2019

The birth of Chinese nationalism
Foreign Policy, May 3, 2019

The Chinese Enlightenment at 100
Foreign Affairs, May 3, 2019

As dissent is silenced, Xi Jinping lauds a massive student rebellion 100 years ago
Quartz, May 3, 2019

30 years ago: Beijing rejects deadline for talks
China Digital Times, May 4, 2019

Video: Hong Kong activists wash Tiananmen Massacre monument ahead of 30th anniversary
Hong Kong Free Press, May 4, 2019

Memorial museum opens ahead of 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre
Radio Free Asia, May 3 2019

30 years ago: 6,000 Shanghai students march
China Digital Times, May 3, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

China denounces U.S. “concentration camps” remarks
Reuters, May 6, 2019

Related:
China putting minority Muslims in “concentration camps,” U.S. says
Reuters, May 3, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Chinese writer, rights activist [Xie Qiang] incommunicado, believed detained
Radio Free Asia, May 6, 2019

Liu Xia can't accept husband's death
The Standard (Hong Kong), May 6, 2019

No visitors allowed at prison holding Chinese rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, his wife says
Hong Kong Free Press, May 3, 2019

On World Press Freedom Day, China must account for disappeared photojournalist Lu Guang
Hong Kong Free Press, May 3, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

Party censorship has killed off investigative reporting in China: Journalists
Radio Free Asia, May 3, 2019

Press freedom continues to face setbacks in China
Voice of America, May 3, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

“I don’t want people to forget him”: Chinese feminist Zheng Churan campaigns to free husband Wei Zhili, detained for protesting
Hong Kong Free Press, May 5, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

UN chief makes it loud and clear: When it comes to China, human rights are not a priority
Hong Kong Free Press, May 4, 2019

Zhejiang movie theatre displays blacklisted individuals in Avengers movie preview
What’s on Weibo, May 3, 2019

China questions classmates, friends of Tibetan student who posted politically sensitive essay
Radio Free Asia, May 3, 2019

CCP Aggressively Guards Claim to May 4th Legacy
China Digital Times, May 3, 2019

Case of Ethiopian engineer detained in China is raised by PM Abiy Ahmed in meeting with Xi
SupChina, May 2, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Democrats decry ‘coup’ as pro-Beijing lawmaker seeks to take over vetting of China extradition bill
Hong Kong Free Press, May 6, 2019

Related:
Pro-Beijing lawmakers vote to unseat democrat James To from leading discussion of Hong Kong’s extradition bill
Hong Kong Free Press, May 4, 2019

Pro-establishment camp seizes control of bill committee scrutinising Hong Kong’s controversial extradition law
South China Morning Post, May 6, 2019

US Consul General Kurt Tong questions Hong Kong government over extradition bill and Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet breaks his silence
South China Morning Post, May 4, 2019

Three retired Hong Kong police officers reportedly travelled to Taiwan to monitor pro-independence activists
Hong Kong Free Press, May 6, 2019

Hong Kong extradition law could instill climate of fear, says Taiwan official
Reuters, May 3, 2019

Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement trio appeals against convictions and sentences
Hong Kong Free Press, May 3, 2019

Commentary (评论)

How China’s overseas Confucius Institutes pose a powerful threat to academic freedom
Hong Kong Free Press, May 5, 2019

Xi Jinping would rather the Chinese forgot the true legacy of the May Fourth protests. But we mustn’t
South China Morning Post, May 4, 2019

A century on from the May Fourth protests, Chinese youths are in a state of crisis
South China Morning Post, May 4, 2019

Why China’s May Fourth celebrations also bring new concerns for Beijing
Washington Post, May 3, 2019

Huawei reaches into Britain. Maybe it's time to pay attention to China
Channel NewsAsia, May 4, 2019

Hong Kong’s extradition law proposal: unsettling at best and downright frightening at worst
Hong Kong Free Press, May 4, 2019

The Umbrella Movement trial: Jailed for not apologising? Isn’t that a bit political?
Hong Kong Free Press, May 4, 2019

Burying “Mr. Democracy”
China Media Project, May 3, 2019

May Fourth’s unfulfilled promise
ChinaFile, May 3, 2019

May Fourth, the Day That Changed China
The New York Times, May 3, 2019

Might China withdraw from the UN Law Of The Sea Treaty?
The Diplomat, May 2, 2019