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, May 31, 2019

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

China’s “black week-end”
New York Review of Books, June 27, 2019 Issue

Tiananmen 1989: Three decades behind China’s gate of darkness
China Heritage, May 31, 2019

【六四三十】亞視六君子李玉蓮:六四是香港人要記住的感情和責任 (Hong Kong ATV journalist: June Fourth is a sentiment and responsibility that Hong Kong must remember)
Inmediahk.net, May 31, 2019

“Pillar of Shame” artist Jens Galschiøt erects Danish highway sign honouring 1989 Tiananmen Massacre victims
Hong Kong Free Press, May 31, 2019

天安门母亲张先玲:和平理性坚持抗争30载 (Interview with a Tiananmen Mother, Zhang Xianling: A peaceful and rational 30-year-long reistance )
Voice of America, May 30, 2019

Related:
HRIC’s “Unforgotten” project: profiles of June Fourth Victims
‐ Project subsite homepage
‐ HRIC statement
‐ Profiles of the “Unforgotten”

Four is forbidden: Finding my way to the truth about Tiananmen
ChinaFile, May 30, 2019

China military says shouldn’t say Tiananmen protests were “suppressed”
South China Morning Post, May 29, 2019

30 years ago: Goddess of democracy erected
China Digital Times, May 30, 2019

China: Tiananmen injustice fuels repression 30 years on
Human Rights Watch, May 30, 2019

Many Chinese know little about the bloodshed in Beijing 30 years ago
Economist, May 30, 2019

Photos of the Tiananmen Square protests through the lens of a student witness
The New York Times, May 30, 2019

Tiananmen 30 years on: Why another pro-democracy uprising would be “impossible” in China
South China Morning Post, May 30, 2019

US calls Tiananmen Square “full-on massacre” as anniversary nears
Voice of America, May 30, 2019

The unsung heroes of Beijing, 1989: Remembering the civilian resistance
Radio Free Asia, May 30, 2019

June 4, 1989: A personal recollection: Looking back on Tiananmen
Brookings, May 29, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

US universities and retirees are funding the technology behind China’s surveillance state
BuzzFeed News, May 30, 2019

Related:
Facial recognition technology is facing a huge backlash in the US. But some of the world’s biggest tech companies are trying to sell it in the Gulf.
BuzzFeed News, May 29, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China detains activists, mutes livestreams ahead of Tiananmen anniversary
Agence France-Presse, May 31, 2019

彭斯与杜鲁多呼吁中国释放遭拘禁的加拿大人 (Pence and Trudeau jointly call for release of Canadians detained in China for national security crimes)
Voice of America, May 31, 2019

Interrogators in China’s Anhui deprive activist of food, sleep, toilet access
Radio Free Asia, May 30, 2019

Former 1989 pro-democracy figures currently incarcerated for continued human rights activism
Chinese Human Rights Defenders, May 30, 2019

Human rights activism in post-Tiananmen China: A tale of brutal repression and extraordinary resilience
Human Rights Watch, May 30, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

The art of getting Tiananmen Square crackdown onto Chinese social media, from a rock star to a line of rubber ducks
South China Morning Post, May 30, 2019

US-China TV debate’s lack of flash panned on Chinese social media
South China Morning Post, May 30, 2019

Related:
Minitrue: Do not quote foreign media in coverage of CGTN-Fox debate
China Digital Times, May 30, 2019

Why did Beijing suppress Wang Yang’s remarks on Taiwan?
The Diplomat, May 30, 2019

Bilibili and AcFun block real-time commenting feature until June 6
SupChina, May 30, 2019

Upgrades limit access to Chinese live-streaming, video sites over Tiananmen anniversary
South China Morning Post, May 30, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Netizen voices: “Pompeo didn’t say a word?”
China Digital Times, May 29, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China is getting tough on those who fail to pay their debts
Economist, May 30, 2019

The new Long March: Xi’s 15-year battle plan with the US
Nikkei Asian Review, May 30, 2019

Former senior food, drug administration official stands trial for bribery, abuse of power
Xinhua, May 30, 2019

US Senate bill targets Chinese influence in Cambodia
Voice of America, May 29, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

WeWork, Alibaba Cloud partner on initiative to attract global companies
TechNode, May 30, 2019

Chinese database exposed 48.5 million dating app user records
TechNode, May 30, 2019

IEEE, a major science publisher, bans Huawei scientists from reviewing papers
Science Magazine, May 29, 2019

Rising Chinese AI star Megvii gets caught in the US-China tech war
South China Morning Post, May 29, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

【律師會改選】人權律師帝理邁成票王 其餘 4 人來自流傳中聯辦推薦名單 (Law Society election results: 1 human rights lawyer and 4 pro-Beijing candidates endorsed by Liaison Office take seats)
The Stand News, May 31, 2019

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam survives first no confidence vote, as democrats cite “lies” over extradition row
Hong Kong Free Press, May 30, 2019

Hong Kong gov’t announces new concessions to extradition bill after pressure from pro-Beijing camp
Hong Kong Free Press, May 30, 2019

Related:
【逃犯條例】被指無法處理台灣殺人案 林鄭:修例後會睇下 (Government concessions specify extradition requests must originate from central authorities, casting doubt on Taiwan’s ability to initiate requests; Carrie Lam: “We’ll look into it after amendments are done”)
The Stand News, May 31, 2019

【逃犯條例】英加外長:修例或損《中英聯合聲明》保障之權利自由 促港府與各方溝通 (UK foreign secretary, Canadian foreign minister warn negative impacts of extradition bill on human rights, urge consideration of alternatives and safeguards)
The Stand News, May 30, 2019

Hong Kong school head called police over student-backed petition opposing controversial extradition bill
Hong Kong Free Press, May 30, 2019

“Inconsistent with the right to equality”: Hong Kong court declares male gay sex laws unconstitutional
Agence France-Presse, May 30, 2019

Hong Kong wants to build massive artificial islands. More than 1 million people could live on them. But they will cost a fortune
Economist, May 30, 2019

Commentary (评论)

A U-turn on Hong Kong’s extradition law is the only way Carrie Lam can defuse the political crisis
South China Morning Post, May 31, 2019

Is China ready to take its economic coercion into the open?
The Diplomat, May 31, 2019

小端網路觀察:內容平台的凜冬已至?還存在「看起來沒問題」的作品嗎?(Has winter arrived for online content platforms? Can any works of fiction meet the definition of “acceptable”?)
The Initium, May 30, 2019