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, July 09, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

Uyghur officials in Hotan forced to forgo halal during visits of Chinese “relatives”
Radio Free Asia, July 8, 2019

Xinjiang: Chairs seek urgent action from administration to address probable crimes against humanity
U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, July 5, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

UN experts: Speak out on legislative measures restricting rights of lawyers in China
Chinese Human Rights Defenders, July 9, 2019

Wife of Australian writer Yang Hengjun held in China interrogated and banned from flying home
ABC News, July 8, 2019

Video and transcript: Campaign for direct elections of Beijing Lawyers Association, 2008-2009
China Change, July 8, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

微博处置涉黄低俗信息150.9万余条,含微博、头条文章等 (Weibo deletes over 1.5 million posts since commencement of “Project Sky Blue”)
The Paper, July 8, 2019

China dismisses Three Gorges Dam safety concerns as rumor-mongering
Radio Free Asia, July 8, 2019

Related:
Three Gorges Dam back in the spotlight
China Media Project, July 7, 2019

This time it looks authentic: Chinese ambassador to US Cui Tiankai joins Twitter months after fake account was suspended
South China Morning Post, July 9, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Statement by the China Human Rights Lawyers Group on the fourth anniversary of the “709 Incident”
China Change, July 9, 2019

Activist Hong Kong singer faces down China at UN rights body
Associated Press, July 9, 2019

Related:
中國代表團指何韻詩攻擊一國兩制 要求不得用侮辱語言 (“Affront to One China,” “unfounded allegations,” “abusive language”: China twice interrupts address of Hong Kong’s Denise Ho at Human Rights Council address using point of order)
Radio Television Hong Kong, July 9, 2019

China city puts incinerator project on hold after protests: Report
Reuters, July 9, 2019

Related:
First Hong Kong protested. Now it’s Wuhan, China. What makes it Beijing’s latest headache?
LA Times, July 5, 2019

Early Rain church members attend first service after China crackdown
Associated Press, July 8, 2019

Related:
秋雨教会基督徒一家六口逃亡台湾 寻求政治庇护 (Christian family from Early Rain Covenant Church seeks asylum in Taiwan)
Radio Free Asia, July 8, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

At world peace forum, China’s vice president pans protectionism
Caixin, July 8, 2019

Media boss Jimmy Lai meets Pence, Pompeo on Hong Kong issues
Radio Free Asia, July 8, 2019

Over 100 house church believers in Shanxi threatened with arrest to renounce their faith
Bitter Winter, July 7, 2019

Looting house churches to prevent their resurgence
Bitter Winter, July 7, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

What you need to know about Meiya Pico, China’s low-profile forensics champion named in data privacy scandal
South China Morning Post, July 9, 2019

Why YouTube keeps demonetizing videos of the Hong Kong protests: The platform’s “advertising-friendly” content rules are hurting creators trying to cover important global events
One Zero, July 8, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam declares extradition bill “dead,” but stops short of full withdrawal
Hong Kong Free Press, July 9, 2019

Related:
林鄭月娥宣佈《逃犯條例》修訂「壽終正寢」 拒特赦 拒設獨立調查委員會 (Carrie Lam reiterates “the bill is dead;” refuses amnesty or independent commission of inquiry)
The Stand News, July 9, 2019

李國能首開腔:促撤草案、獨立調查 斥衝擊立會 籲如罪成應判具阻嚇力刑罰 (Former chief justice Andrew Li urges government to withdraw extradition bill, conduct independent investigation into police violence)
The Stand News, July 9, 2019

US barred Hong Kong consul from giving critical speech on protests
Financial Times, July 8, 2019

一國一制又出招! 香港3年內引進「信用評分系統」(Greater Bay Area action plan reveals social credit system will be implemented in Hong Kong within the next 3 years)
Liberty Times Net, July 8, 2019

Related:
广东印发推进粤港澳大湾区建设三年行动计划(2018-2020年)(Full text: Greater Bay Area development 3 year action plan 2018-2020)
People’s Government of Guangdong Province, July 5, 2019

How Hong Kong protesters switched tactics to keep pressure on China
Bloomberg, July 7, 2019

Related:
What Hong Kong protesters want to tell mainland Chinese tourists
Inkstone, July 8, 2019

Hong Kong protesters consider Bank of China “stress test” in bid to pressure gov’t
Agence France-Presse, July 8, 2019

警員佐級協會去信梁君彥 嚴厲譴責譚文豪、區諾軒阻礙執行職務 (In letter to LegCo president, police association condemns pro-democracy legislators for standing in front of police barricade, obstructing police duty)
The Stand News, July 8, 2019

Related:
【旺角清場】警被指迫路人解鎖手機 威嚇勿向傳媒連登報料 「我有你地址㗎」 (Protesters say police forced them to unlock their phones to reveal chat records, social media apps; used “I have your address” to prevent reporting incident to media)
The Stand News, July 8, 2019

Veteran leaders of Hong Kong pro-business Liberal Party urge its representative to resign from gov’t cabinet
Hong Kong Free Press, July 8, 2019

Commentary (评论)

新疆的「再教育」:從「多元帝國」到「民族同化」 (Xinjiang’s “re-education”: The path from “empire of diversity” to “ethnic assimilation”)
The Initium, July 9, 2019

Muslim leaders are betraying the Uighurs
Foreign Policy, July 8, 2019

Being polite and respectful is not an indicator of how worthy Hongkongers’ causes are
Hong Kong Free Press, July 8, 2019

As Hong Kong protesters embrace Telegram, when will the messaging app fix one of its biggest security flaws?
Hong Kong Free Press, July 7, 2019