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, December 13, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

新疆伊犁土政策 哈萨克族不得出售房屋 (Kazakhs in Xinjiang cannot leave despite increased visa approvals from Kazakhstan, because China will not let them sell their property)
Radio Free Asia, December 12, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

疑发表涉港言论 《零八宪章》签署者杨立才遭刑事拘留 (Artist Yang Licai, signatory of Charter 08, detained over comments on Hong Kong)
Radio Free Asia, December 12, 2019

Chinese policeman detained for five days after video of assault on girlfriend goes viral
South China Morning Post, December 12, 2019

Associated Press honours journalist executed in 1951 by Chinese officials
Associated Press, December 12, 2019

Guangzhou hosts global lawyers forum amid ongoing “war on law”
China Digital Times, December 12, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Chinese-built dam projects failing on environmental standards, green group International Rivers warns
South China Morning Post, December 13, 2019

China's top diplomat blames US 'paranoia' as ties unravel
Al Jazeera, December 13, 2019

China defends record on International Human Rights Day
China Digital Times, December 10, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China's AI Unicorns Can Spot Faces. Now They Need New Tricks
Wired, December 12, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Thousands attend memorial service in Hong Kong for student Chow Tsz-lok, who died after car-park fall near police dispersal operation
South China Morning Post, December 12, 2019

Related:
【悼念周梓樂】警截查黑衣市民ㅤ人權監察:騷擾祭祀活動ㅤ超越道德底線 ("Beyond immoral," criticizes Human Rights Monitor as police harass citizens queuing to pay respects to Chow Tsz-lok)
Stand News, December 12, 2019

警察半年OT袋9.5億 民主派首引用傳召權力傳召警務處處長 (Police department paid almost HKD 1 billion for overtime pay in past six months, pan-Dems to summon police commissioner)
Inmediahk.net, December 13, 2019

Related:
Hong Kong police paid HK$950m in overtime since June, averaging $86,000 per officer
Hong Kong Free Press, December 13, 2019

IPCC findings 'nothing but police press briefings'
The Standard, December 13, 2019

Hong Kong protesters mark six months since pivotal clash with police
Reuters, December 12, 2019

Related:
612半周年 集會者稱「催淚彈味道揮之不去」 寫聖誕卡向在囚示威者送暖 ("I can still smell the tear gas": Over 40,000 rally at Central on half-year anniversary of 6.12)
Ming Pao, December 12, 2019

Christmas cards collected for jailed Hong Kong protesters
Associated Press, December 12, 2019

數百中學生集會 中二男生:堅持走出來直到勝利 教師:以年輕人為榮 ("Until we win": Secondary school students rally in Tuen Mun to show support for arrested fellow classmates)
Stand News, December 12, 2019

涉病房施虐 3警員今改控公職人員行為失當罪 轉介區院處理 (Three police officers who tortured elderly man in ward charged with misfeasance in public office, case to be transferred to District Court)
Inmediahk.net, December 12, 2019

Hong Kong Justice Sec. Teresa Cheng says Chinese officials paid her close attention during medical treatment
Hong Kong Free Press, December 12, 2019

Hong Kong protests in pictures: 6 months of anger, tear gas and clashes
Channel NewsAsia, December 10, 2019

Commentary (评论)

Is Violence in Hong Kong’s Protests Turning off Moderates?
China File, December 11, 2019

【訪問】韓國公民人權律師訪港 震驚港警實彈射示威者 憂警權過大欠制約 (Korean human rights lawyer visits Hong Kong: Shocked at life-rounds, concerned by unrestrained police powers)
Stand News, December 13, 2019

告别茫然的十年,迎来危险的十年
As a Disorienting Decade Closes, a Perilous One Begins
The New York Times, December 13, 2019

HKFP Lens: Illuminate Hong Kong highlights the delicate intimacy of a city in turmoil
Hong Kong Free Press, December 13, 2019

A truly independent inquiry into police conduct is best way forward
South China Morning Post, December 12, 2019

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

US lawmakers aren’t buying what Beijing is selling about reality of Xinjiang detention camps
South China Morning Post, December 12, 2019

Xinjiang’s New Slavery
Foreign Policy, December 11, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China is biggest jailer of journalists, says a press watchdog group
Agence France-Presse, December 12, 2019

中国律师陈秋实世界人权日当天被边控 (Chen Qiushi, rights lawyer who visited Hong Kong to document protests, barred from leaving country)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 12, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

Belgian university closes its Chinese state-funded Confucius Institute after spying claims
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2019

Why Is China Burning Books?
Foreign Policy, December 11, 2019

China launches PR blitz to combat ‘foreign interference’ in Hong Kong
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

709律师王全璋之妻李文足获2019法德人权奖 (Li Wenzu, human rights defender and wife of jailed lawyer Wang Quanzhang, dodges Chinese surveillance to receive human rights prize at French Embassy)
Radio France Internationale, December 11, 2019

Canada’s opinion of China worsens as Huawei, detention rows drag into second year
Agence France-Presse, December 12, 2019

Related:
九成加拿大人觉得中国缺乏法治人权 七成认为人权高於经贸 (90 per cent of Canadians think China lacks human rights and rule of law, while 70 per cent believe human rights more important than trade)
Radio Free Asia, December 11, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China Ambassador Threatened Faroe Islands Over Huawei Contract — Leaked Tape
SupChina, December 11, 2019

China hits out at United States for ‘stirring up colour revolutions and chaos’ to ‘under banner of human rights’ in apparent reference to Xinijang camps and Hong Kong protests
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2019

北京取消了今年的德中人权对话 (Beijing cancels annual human rights dialogue with Germany)
Radio France Internationale, December 11, 2019

人頭協會助5000中國觀光客「假交流之名來台」,其中包括中國官方人士 (Over 5,000 mainland visitors entered Taiwan under "exchange programs" in the past two years, including Chinese officials)
The News Lens, December 11, 2019

As China's investments in Germany grow, so do the ethical pitfalls
The Christian Science Monitor, December 11, 2019

China steps in as Zambia runs out of loan options
The Guardian, December 11, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Battle-scarred: the lasting impact of the PolyU campus siege on Hong Kong’s protest movement
Hong Kong Free Press, December 12, 2019

牛頭角港鐵站凌晨遭擲汽油彈 彌敦道巴士被按緊急死火掣、打裂車窗 3人被捕 (December 11: Molotov at MTR station, emergency stop activation stalled buses on Nathan Road , three arrested)
Stand News, December 12, 2019

Hong Kong protests: health care activists rally at Edinburgh Place to threaten government with strikes from new trade unions
South China Morning Post, December 12, 2019

Related:
愛丁堡廣場醫護界集氣大會 有工會不排除回應三罷 (1,800 doctors and nurses rally in central to encourage unionization, consider participating in general strike)
Ming Pao, December 11, 2019

會計師公會理事改選 7 席 民主派大勝取 6 席 (Pro-democracy candidates take record-breaking 6 seats out of 7 in Institute of Certified Public Accountants election)
Stand News, December 12, 2019

Who will police the Hong Kong police?
Quartz, December 11, 2019

The people sing: ‘Les Mis’ soothes, breaks Hong Kong hearts
Washington Post, December 11, 2019

被捕教師即時停職 教育局強調不等於「定罪」(Education Bureau suspends teacher arrested in protests)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 11, 2019

Related:
蔣麗芸:應懲處違法教師 倡課室裝閉路電視監察教師操守 (Pro-Beijing legislator urges punishment for teachers and surveillance cameras in classrooms to monitor teachers' conduct)
Stand News, December 11, 2019

民主派區議員周偉雄:返內地奔喪遭拒入境ㅤ被指「危害國家安全」(Pro-democracy district councillor barred from entering mainland for family funeral for “endangering national security”)
Stand News, December 11, 2019

民主派動議譴責何君堯無人反對 將交調查委員會處理 (LegCo motion to condemn Junius Ho passes without objection, to proceed to internal investigation)
Ming Pao, December 11, 2019

First Hong Kong protest riot trial to be held in March as prosecutors criticised for ‘not disclosing evidence’
Hong Kong Free Press, December 11, 2019

Related:
鄭若驊:不排除調動更多人手處理公眾活動案件 (More prosecutors might be allocated to handle vast number of protests cases, says Secretary of Justice Teresa Cheng)
Ming Pao, December 11, 2019

Commentary (评论)

Europe is no pushover. If China doesn’t back off, the EU might take a tough stance on Hong Kong, too
South China Morning Post, December 12, 2019

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China hands over cases of detained Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig to prosecutors
South China Morning Post, December 10, 2019

Related:
加拿大人康明凯和斯帕弗被拘押一周年 中加“人质外交”依然无解 (A year after detention of Korvig and Spavor, China's "hostage diplomacy" remains unresolved)
BBC, December 11, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

警方今年曾621次要求社交平台移除帖文 (Hong Kong police requested social media platforms to remove posts 621 times in 2019)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 11, 2019

China to punish library officials for burning books - but only because they did it in public
Independent, December 10, 2019

Chinese photo agency websites go dark over licence violations
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2019

China’s rare nod for Korean war film seen as boost to nationalism
South China Morning Post, December 10, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

人权日彭培奥批中国侵权 访民到美使馆多人被带走
China Detains Activists Heading to U.S. Human Rights Event
Radio Free Asia, December 10, 2019

Hong Kong democracy protester says he was ambushed by masked Chinese men in Australia
The Guardian, December 10, 2019

Translation: Netizens voice support for Hong Kong protesters
China Digital Times, December 10, 2019

Hong Kong reporters inspired The Life and Death of a Journalist
The Guardian, December 10, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Canada parliament votes for committee to probe China relations in defeat for Trudeau
Reuters, December 10, 2019

Government vows to protect workers as protests over pneumoconiosis grow
China Labour Bulletin, December 10, 2019

Related:
尘肺病重点行业职工将全面纳入工伤保险 (Jobs with high risk of pneumoconiosis to be fully included in employment injury insurance)
Beijing News, December 10, 2019

Taiwan may help if Hong Kong violence expands
Associated Press, December 10, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou wins Canada court fight to see more documents related to her arrest
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

張曉明:23條未立法加劇「港獨」 建維護國安制度成緊迫任務 (Head of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office says absence of Art.23 legislation aggravated pro-independence trends, national security an urgent mission)
Ming Pao, December 11, 2019

逾900名反修例示威被捕人士未成年 涉暴動毁壞等 (Security Bureau reveals over 900 arrested protesters are underage, charges include rioting, illegal assembly, and assaulting police officers)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 12, 2019

Foreign experts quit Hong Kong police brutality inquiry over lack of powers
The Guardian, December 10, 2019

Related:
Foreign Panel Steps Down From Probe of Hong Kong Police
The Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2019

監警會副主席謝偉銓 否認國際專家組「辭職」 稱是「現階段工作吿一段落」 (IPCC Vice Chair claims expert panel did not quit, only “finished current stage of work”)
Stand News, December 10, 2019

Hong Kong Education Bureau ‘considering penalties’ for around 30 teachers over protest-related conduct complaints
Hong Kong Free Press, December 11, 2019

All eyes on President Xi Jinping as Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam heads to Beijing to collect her report card
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2019

Court of Appeal rules Hong Kong mask ban to remain unconstitutional, with full appeal hearing due next month
Hong Kong Free Press, December 10, 2019

國際人權日集會 悼爭取人權犧牲者 聲援香港抗爭者 (Rally on International Human Rights Day mourns lives lost in fight for human rights and voices support for Hong Kong protesters)
Stand News, December 10, 2019

【工運要人.1】前言:當街頭抗爭到瓶頸 工運是否一條新戰線? (As street protests reach bottleneck, is labour movement a new frontier?)
Stand News, December 10, 2019

Commentary (评论)

Female frontliners upend Hong Kong gender stereotypes
Agence France-Presse, December 11, 2019