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, January 09, 2020

Xinjiang (新疆)

China's Actions in Xinjiang May Amount to 'Crimes Against Humanity,' Says US Rights Report
Radio Free Asia, January 8, 2020

Related:
Congress presses Trump to sanction China over human rights
Nikkei Asian Review, January 9, 2020

Congressional-Executive Commission on China: 2019 Annual Report
Congressional-Executive Commission on China, January 9, 2020

China contributes to global anti-terror cause with deradicalization efforts in Xinjiang: Foreign Minister
Sina, January 9, 2020

Access to Justice (司法公正)

維權律師丁家喜維權人士張忠順戴振亞料遭監視居住 (Rights defense lawyer Ding Jiaxi and activist Zhang Zhongshun are feared to be under solitary residential surveillance at designated locations)
Radio Television Hong Kong, January 8, 2020

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

林榮基將於3月在台北開設新銅鑼灣書店 (Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wingkee to open new "Causeway Bay Bookstore" in Taipei in March)
Radio Television Hong Kong, January 7, 2020

Latent grievances erupt in massive taxi driver protests across China
China Labour Bulletin, January 6, 2020

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Taiwan's China-friendly presidential hopeful faces backlash in divided south
Reuters, January 9, 2020

China province of 80 million claims only 17 people in poverty, sparking debate about official data
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2020

Recant or die: Alleged threat to self-confessed Chinese spy Wang Liqiang
The Age, January 8, 2020

Related:
Taiwan KMT official allegedly tried to bribe Chinese spy into fake confession blaming DPP
Taiwan News, January 9, 2020

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

TikTok被曝存在严重安全漏洞
Major TikTok Security Flaws Found
The New York Times, January 9, 2020

New Rules, Who Dis: TikTok Overhauls Its Community Guidelines
Wired, January 8, 2020

Tencent and state-owned UnionPay to merge QR code systems for mobile payments in China
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2020

Hong Kong (香港)

美國國會報告批評中國侵蝕香港自治 建議執行人權法案 (U.S. Congressional-Executive Committee on China criticizes China's erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy in new report, urges sanctions under new act)
Radio Television Hong Kong, January 9, 2020

Related:
美國會報告:港自由人權繼受侵蝕 港府:不應干預內部事務 ("Don't interfere with internal affairs," says Hong Kong government on new U.S. report slamming violation of human rights)
Ming Pao, January 9, 2020

‘Completely groundless’: Hong Kong democrat Claudia Mo slams gov’t claim protesters received foreign training
Hong Kong Free Press, January 9, 2020

Related:
李家超:相信有暴徒曾在外地受訓 每次行動都有目標及劇情 (Secretary for Security John Lee accuses protesters of having "received foreign training" because posters had different languages, protests were very organized and had clear themes)
Stand News, January 8, 2020

Ordinary laundry cycles can handle tear gas residue, says Hong Kong security chief
Hong Kong Free Press, January 9, 2020

Hong Kong police seized more than 3,700 mobile phones from protesters in space of five months and had devices broken into to read contents, security chief reveals
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2020

周梓樂逝世兩個月市民悼念 廣明苑釀衝突 警拘議員助理 (Citizens gather to commemorate Chow Tsz-lok's death; clashes break out as police clear blockade, district councilor’s assistant pepper-sprayed and arrested over straw hat "weapon")
Ming Pao, January 8, 2020

Related:
In Pictures: Clashes erupt in Tseung Kwan O as crowds mark two months since Hong Kong student’s death
Hong Kong Free Press, January 9, 2020

Hong Kong protests: teachers warned online comments are subject to regulations as education chief urges schools to suspend those arrested for serious crimes
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2020

Related:
教協眾籌一千萬支援受打壓老師 馮偉華:作為工會保護會員責無旁貸!(Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union starts crowdfunding campaign to offer legal and financial assistance to teachers facing reprisals)
Inmediahk.net, January 8, 2020

民政少理區議會 觀塘音樂噴泉照去 觀塘區議會民主派:極度憤怒 (Kwun Tong's Home Affairs Department to go ahead with fountain construction despite District Council motion to suspend project)
Inmediahk.net, January 8, 2020

Commentary (评论)

Carrie Lam is no longer Hong Kong’s real boss, but that’s less worrying than the man who now is
South China Morning Post, January 9, 2020

Taiwan’s Election Is a Referendum on Its Identity
Foreign Policy, January 8, 2020

Persecution of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang meets with silence on the arab street
Daily Herald, January 8, 2020

Wednesday, January 08, 2020

Access to Justice (司法公正)

內地搜捕律師維權人士 許志永逃亡中揭真相 (On the run, Rights defender Xu Zhiyong explains the "Xiamen Meeting" behind arrests of lawyers and activists)
Ming Pao, January 8, 2020

Related:
关注新一轮大抓捕 卫小兵再遭刑拘工厂被关闭 (Activist Wei Xiaobing under criminal detention for calling attention to mass arrest of rights defense lawyers)
Radio Free Asia, January 7, 2020

呼籲國際社會ㅤ關注中國維權律師及公民元旦前夕被大規模打壓 (Calling for international community's attention to large-scale crackdown on rights defense lawyers and citizens)
Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, January 7, 2020

Access to Information (信息公开)

China Bans Imported Textbooks for Primary, Middle Schools
Sixth Tone, January 7, 2020

Related:
China Aims For Total Control of People's Thinking From Primary Level Upwards
Radio Free Asia, January 7, 2020

台湾担忧中国散布虚假信息影响大选
Awash in Disinformation Before Vote, Taiwan Points Finger at China
The New York Times, January 7, 2020

Related:
【台灣大選・反赤】《中國時報》記者親述台灣媒體如何被染紅 (China Times journalist recounts how Taiwanese media "turned red" under mainland influence)
Stand News, January 8, 2020

Ahead of Taiwan's presidential elections, KMT accuses DPP of ‘green terror’ and Beijing echoes
Global Voices, January 8, 2020

Chinese state media seizes on US killing of Iranian commander to paint Beijing as a force for stability
South China Morning Post, January 7, 2020

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China cements Communist Party’s role at top of its SOEs, should ‘execute the will of the party’
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2020

Related:
China Steps Up Communist Party Control in State-Owned Firms
Bloomberg, January 7, 2020

Taiwan to vote in shadow of China pressure, Hong Kong protests
Reuters, January 7, 2020

China releases regulation on guaranteeing wages for migrant workers
Sina, January 8, 2020

Be vigilant, Chinese embassy in Jakarta says as fishing row adds to anti-Beijing sentiment
South China Morning Post, January 7, 2020

China tried to threaten Taiwan by weaponizing tourism, but it didn’t work
Quartz, January 7, 2020

China’s Reach Tests the Pacific’s Fragile Island Democracies
Foreign Policy, January 7, 2020

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Megvii takes big step towards $500m Hong Kong listing
Financial Times, January 7, 2020

Hong Kong (香港)

50蒙面人梨木樹拆連儂牆 街坊稱遭追打 (Residents say they were chased and beaten as 50 masked individuals demolished Lennon Wall in Kwai Chung; police made no arrests, and helped attackers get taxis)
Ming Pao, January 8, 2020

Opposition to LGBT+ legal rights in Hong Kong at historic low – CUHK survey
Hong Kong Free Press, January 8, 2020

Hong Kong protests: district council sets up task force to investigate mob attack at Yuen Long MTR station
South China Morning Post, January 7, 2020

Related:
Tough to find people to join review committee on police behaviour, says Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam
Hong Kong Free Press, January 7 2020

林鄭月娥︰不應走獨立調查委員會這條路 ("We should not walk down the path of an independent commission of inquiry," says Carrie Lam)
Radio Television Hong Kong, January 7, 2020

【元朗 7.21】建制組織成員法院外聲援 61 歳被告 斥林卓廷「勾引」白衫人犯法 (Pro-establishment groups rally to show support for seven people charged for participating in Yuen Long attacks, saying democratic legislator "seduced" white-clad attackers into breaking the law)
Stand News, January 7, 2020

旺角衝突暴動罪成在囚 盧建民攝影集料 2 月面世 部分收入捐 612 基金、星火等 (Lo Kin-man, photographer jailed for 7 years in 2016's "Fish Ball" protests, publishes photo album to raise funds for protests and appeal)
Stand News, January 7, 2020

‘I will fight tyranny’: Newly-elected Hong Kong localist, 25, becomes chair of North District Council
Hong Kong Free Press, January 7, 2020

Related:
葵青區議會唱《願榮光》 譴責警暴促林鄭下台 建制離席抗議 (Kwai Ching District Council sings "Glory to Hong Kong" in first meeting, condemns police violence and urges Carrie Lam to step down)
Inmediahk.net, January 7, 2020

民建聯「議會監察」四成員旁聽南區區議會 盼全新定位破舊立新 (Pro-Beijing party DAB sets up group to sit-in and monitor district council meetings and functions after defeat in elections)
Inmediahk.net, January 7, 2020

Commentary (评论)

As India finds, and Hong Kong’s protesters should learn, the good fight is fought over an inclusive moral vision
South China Morning Post, January 8, 2020

【專訪】何韻詩 國際舞台上言說香港抗爭 (Interview with Denise Ho: Telling the story of Hong Kong's fight on the global stage)
Stand News, January 7, 2020

Hong Kong: Create Independent Investigation of Police
Human Rights Watch, January 7, 2020

Monday, January 06, 2020

Access to Justice (司法公正)

維權律師郝勁松涉尋釁滋事被拘 (Human Rights lawyer Hao Jinsong detained following series of "Xiamen meeting" arrests)
Ming Pao, January 6, 2020

‘Disloyal and two-faced’ Chinese provincial boss accused of ignoring Xi Jinping’s orders facing prosecution
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2020

中国规定对缓刑罪犯电子定位不可超过3个月 (China passes new law that specifies maximum 3-months GPS tracking on criminals with suspended sentences)
Radio Free Asia, January 3, 2020

Access to Information (信息公开)

《少年的你》:中共才是人民唯一信仰?現實主義題材淪為大型政宣片 (The bumpy road for "Better Days" in China: Urban realist films turned into propaganda tool)
The News Lens, January 5, 2020

中國運動員挪威受訓 要求下架法輪功書籍遭拒 (Local library in Norway rejects demand from China's skiing team to remove Falun Gong-related books)
Ming Pao, January 5, 2020

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

【流亡台灣】支援逃亡抗爭者 收集前線物資 台灣牧師黃春生:天國無林鄭份 (Heaven will not welcome Carrie Lam: Interview with Taiwanese pastor providing aid to Hong Kong protesters who fled across the strait)
Stand News, January 6, 2020

Government Accountability (政府问责)

A Mysterious Virus in Central China Has Infected Dozens, Raising Fears of a New Epidemic. Here's What to Know
TIME, January 6, 2020

Related:
Wuhan-linked pneumonia cases in HK double after 8 more reported
Eji Insight, January 6, 2020

武漢「不明原因肺炎」排除SARS,2003年後中國建立了怎樣的監測體系?(Causes unknown in pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan: What monitoring system did China establish after Sars in 2003?)
The Initium, January 6, 2020

China’s new urban dwellers really still live in the countryside, study says
South China Morning Post, January 6, 2020

New coach says China men's football players must be ready to fight
Sina, January 6, 2020

How Zimbabwe’s new parliament symbolises China’s chequebook diplomacy approach to Africa
South China Morning Post, January 5, 2020

The real reason China wants peace in Afghanistan
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2020

The Netherlands’ New Year greeting did not go down well in China
Quartz, January 3, 2020

Taiwan Passes Anti-Infiltration Act Ahead of Election Amid Opposition Protests
The Diplomat, January 3, 2020

疑受中国政府压力 藏传佛教“菩提学会”解散 (Buddhist group in Tibet disbanded, followers suspect pressure from Chinese government)
Radio Free Asia, January 3, 2020

China’s Secret Weapon Abroad: Tourists
The Nation, January 3, 2020

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Former Google Executive Blasts Company on China
Bloomberg, January 3, 2020

Related:
谷歌前高管:谷歌背弃“不作恶”与中国沙特合作 (Google's former head of international relations blasts company for abandoning "don't be evil" motto in working with China)
Radio France Internationale, January 3, 2020

Hong Kong (香港)

香港中联办突然换帅,骆惠宁接替王志民
China Replaces Its Top Representative in Hong Kong With an Enforcer
The New York Times, January 4, 2020

Related:
New chief of China's HK liaison office hopes city returns to 'right path'
Channel NewsAsia, January 6, 2020

US photography professor who covered ongoing protests barred from Hong Kong
Hong Kong Free Press, January 6, 2020

Taiwan election is make or break for fleeing Hong Kong protesters
Reuters, January 5, 2020

Dozens held in Hong Kong after violence at parallel trading march
The Guardian, January 5, 2020

Related:
【上水和你行】民主黨譴責警方擅自宣布遊行結束 毫無警告下圍捕市民 (Democratic Party condemns police for termination of peaceful march just 20 minutes in, arbitrary arrests made without warning)
Ming Pao, January 5, 2020

警上水「和你行」突襲圍捕拘42人 稱:上咗年紀嘅,唔好搞 (Police arrest 42 in "sudden attack" on peaceful march in Sheung Shui)
Inmediahk.net, January 5, 2020

Britain proposed to boost Hong Kong’s autonomy after return to Chinese rule in 1997 through de facto constitutional court, files show
South China Morning Post, January 6, 2020

Hong Kong teacher suspended for classroom tirade against ‘cockroach’ protesters
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2020

Senior part-time Hong Kong police officer suspended over suspected leaking of protest operational plans on New Year’s Eve
South China Morning Post, January 3, 2020

Hong Kong police identify officer linked to shooting that left foreign journalist blind in one eye, but refuse to release name
South China Morning Post, January 3, 2020

Related:
辯方6度去信索文件不果 官命令案件主管站立 斥:警方永遠拖到最後 (Magistrate slams prosecution for gross delay after police refuse to provide necessary documents after six requests)
Inmediahk.net, January 3, 2020

“有钱就走吧”:香港人的未来在哪里?
Hong Kong Considers the Future: ‘If You Can Afford It, Leave’
The New York Times, January 3, 2020

Commentary (评论)

When will Hong Kong get back to normal? There is no ‘normal’ to get back to
Hong Kong Free Press, January 5, 2020

Is your photo album subversive? How border phone checks are intimidating visitors to China
Hong Kong Free Press, January 5, 2020

國際慈善機構,請站在香港人及普世價值的一方 (International charities, please stand by Hong Kongers and universal values)
Stand News, January 5, 2020

Arrests over protest fundraising are just part of Hong Kong’s criminalisation of political dissent
Hong Kong Free Press, January 4, 2020

As China’s internet giants expand their global reach, they bring Chinese censorship to the world
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2020