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, February 18, 2020

Xinjiang (新疆)

Uighur whistleblower: China is 'arresting people without any reason'
Deutsche Welle, February 18, 2020

Related:
China detains Uighurs for growing beards or visiting foreign websites, leak reveals
The Guardian, February 17, 2020

China Seeks to Divert Attention From Virus Mishandling With Dancing Xinjiang Minorities: Uyghur Exiles
Radio Free Asia, February 14, 2020

How China Tracked Detainees and Their Families
The New York Times, February 14, 2020

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Chinese Police Track Down Dissident Xu Zhiyong Using Facial Recognition
Radio Free Asia, February 18, 2020

Related:
China Detains Activist Who Accused Xi of Coronavirus Cover-Up
Radio France Internationale, February 14, 2020

Dr. Xu Zhiyong, a well-known human rights defender and advocate of the New Citizens Movement exiled in China, taken away by police in Guangzhou
Weiquanwang, February 16, 2020

Gansu Government’s Head-Shaving Publicity Stunt Backfires
Supchina, February 18, 2020

China asylum claims to Germany more than double
Deutsche Welle, February 16, 2020

Tibetan Nun Expelled From Buddhist Center Commits Suicide in Internment Camp
Radio Free Asia, February 14, 2020

Access to Information (信息公开)

China is paying a heavy price for coronavirus because of lack of free speech, says leading professor
South China Morning Post, February 18, 2020

As Wuhan’s desperate and sick beg for help, China shuts them down
The Guardian, February 17, 2020

Missing Chinese citizen journalists highlight risks of telling Wuhan’s story during coronavirus outbreak
South China Morning Post, February 15, 2020

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Dissident artist known as ‘China’s Banksy’ takes aim at Beijing – from Australia
The Washington Post, February 18, 2020

Government Accountability (政府问责)

To Tame Coronavirus, Mao-Style Social Control Blankets China
The New York Times, February 19, 2020

Related:
Talking Out of Both Sides of the Face Mask: Propaganda and Practice in the Age of Coronavirus
Human Rights in China, February 14, 2020

Facial recognition: Concerns over China's widespread surveillance
The New York Times, February 19, 2020

China reports 1,300 more coronavirus cases among medical workers
South China Morning Post, February 18, 2020

Related:
China's Doctors, Fighting the Coronavirus, Beg for Masks
Radio France Internationale, February 15, 2020

Coronavirus: vital to stop human-to-human spread in Wuhan, says China’s top expert as death toll hits 1,868
South China Morning Post, February 18, 2020

'Don't be kidnapped by China': Taiwan tells WHO in bid for separate virus tally
Reuters, February 18, 2020

广西网民订购4000只口罩 竟来自“武汉总工会”及“救援物资” (Guangxi netizens order 4,000 masks and “rescue materials” from Wuhan Federation of Trade Unions
Radio Free Asia, February 18, 2020

As Wuhan’s desperate and sick beg for help, China shuts them down
The Guardian, February 17, 2020

China sees fall in coronavirus deaths but WHO urges caution
Reuters, February 17, 2020

Scared and exposed: Rise in virus cases among China's medics
Al Jazeera, February 17, 2020

China's Leader, Under Fire, Says He Led Coronavirus Fight Early On
Reuters, February 16, 2020

Coronavirus: China enacts tighter restrictions in Hubei
BBC, February 16, 2020

Coronavirus: 70 more cases on Japan cruise ship as China infections pass 68,000
The Guardian, February 15, 2020

Nepal Border Agreement With China Sparks Fears Among Tibetans
Radio Free Asia, February 14, 2020

Li Wenliang’s death exposes the costs of China’s authoritarianism
The Economist, February 13, 2020

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

中国电信5G技术助力首次新冠肺炎远程超声诊疗实施 (China Telecom's 5G technology assists in the first remote ultrasound diagnosis and treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia)
Xinjingbao, February 18, 2020

China's facial-recognition giant says it can crack masked faces during the coronavirus
Quartz, February 18, 2020

Hong Kong armed gang steals toilet rolls as coronavirus panic-buying spreads
The Guardian, February 16, 2020

Hong Kong (香港)

Coronavirus: Hong Kong police on a roll as third suspect in toilet paper heist flushed out
South China Morning Post, February 18, 2020

Hong Kong Protesters Build Barricades, Set Fire to Railway Station Amid Anger Over Virus
Radio Free Asia, February 16, 2020

Commentary (评论)

In Coronavirus Fight, China Sidelines an Ally: Its Own People
The New York Times, February 18, 2020

Red Flag: Impacts of Coronavirus in China and the World
The Diplomat, February 18, 2020

The Li Wenliang Storm
China Media Project, February 18, 2020

China: Detention of activist shows unrelenting assault on freedom of expression
Amnesty International, February 17, 2020

Holding China’s trade unions to account
China Labour Bulletin, February 17, 2020

The coronavirus outbreak has only heightened Hong Kong’s hostility towards Beijing
The Guardian, February 13, 2020

Friday, February 14, 2020

Xinjiang (新疆)

Uyghur Student Held in Coronavirus Quarantine Near Xinjiang Internment Camp
Radio Free Asia, February 12, 2020

Access to Information (信息公开)

Coronavirus: Why have two reporters in Wuhan disappeared?
BBC, February 14, 2020

Three things the Chinese government tried to hide during the novel coronavirus outbreak
Quartz, February 13, 2020

關於中國的輿論, 我們應了解什麼?(What do we need to know about China's narrative?)
The News Lens, February 14, 2020

美国教育部调查哈佛与武汉理工大学关系 (Harvard and Yale investigated over funding from China)
Radio Free Asia, February 13, 2020

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

‘One Thousand Families’: Intimate Portraits Of Chinese Lives During Coronavirus
SupChina, February 14, 2020

Translation: A Poem For Dr. Li Wenliang, And A Call For Free Speech
China Digital Times, February 13, 2020

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China says 1,716 health workers infected by coronavirus, six dead
Reuters, February 14, 2020

湖北省委、武汉市委书记双双下台意味着什么?
China Ousts 2 Party Officials Amid Outrage About Coronavirus Response
The New York Times, February 14, 2020

Related:
武汉一疫 政权声名狼藉 习近平开始清洗 (As authorities' reputation crumbles in outbreak, Xi Jinping begins cleanse)
Radio France Internationale, February 14, 2020

中国究竟有多少新冠病毒确诊病例?
How Many Coronavirus Cases in China? Officials Tweak the Answer
The New York Times, February 13, 2020

Related:
Huge rise in coronavirus cases casts doubt over scale of epidemic
The Guardian, February 13, 2020

China Under Xi Jinping is a 'Dystopian Digital Surveillance State': Rights Group
Radio Free Asia, February 13, 2020

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Chinese Blockchain Is Booming, But Can The Industry Survive Government Support?
SupChina, February 13, 2020

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong doctor battles fear and separation on virus 'dirty team'
Channel News Asia, February 14, 2020

Hong Kong government wins appeal over limiting access to ‘Civic Square’
South China Morning Post, February 14, 2020

Coronavirus: new mask guidelines rankle union as Hospital Authority urges longer use amid citywide shortage
South China Morning Post, February 13, 2020

【武漢肺炎】食環清潔工收家居隔離者垃圾 工會批欠明確指引 (Cleaners sent to collect trash of residents under quarantine without guidelines or protection)
Inmediahk.net, February 13, 2020

【武漢肺炎】滯留湖北港人返港無期 譚文豪轟政府無心救人,叫人白等 (No date in sight and no plan in place for Hong Kongers stranded in Hubei to return, legislators criticize government inaction)
Inmediahk.net, February 13, 2020

China's new Hong Kong chief a hardliner known for crusade against Christian churches
The Guardian, February 13, 2020

她在香港工作,却因疫情旅行禁令被困在故乡菲律宾
A Job Overseas, but Stranded by Coronavirus Travel Bans
The New York Times, February 13, 2020

Hong Kong’s protest art shifts from street clashes to virus panic. But the leaders remain the villains.
Washington Post, February 13, 2020

Commentary (评论)

不封關是恐懼的源頭(文:曾志豪)(Not closing the border to travelers from mainland is the source of Hong Kong's panic)
Ming Pao, February 14, 2020

Where Does China’s ‘One Country, Two Systems’ Stand in 2020?
The Diplomat, February 13, 2020

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Access to Information (信息公开)

Here’s How China Is Silencing Coronavirus Critics in the U.S.
Vice News, February 12, 2020

China to relax its internet restrictions for 100,000 students hit by Australia's coronavirus travel ban
The Guardian, February 13, 2020

Coronavirus “Rumor” Crackdown Continues With Censorship, Detentions
China Digital Times, February 12, 2020

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Coronavirus: The volunteer putting himself at risk in Wuhan
BBC, February 12, 2020

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Coronavirus death toll leaps in China's Hubei province, party bosses sacked
Reuters, February 12, 2020

Related:
Coronavirus: China purges regional leaders hours after spike in deaths and new cases
The Guardian, February 13, 2020

Coronavirus infections skyrocket as China refines diagnostic methods
Deutsche Welle, February 13, 2020

Related:
Why the number of coronavirus cases in China surged by more than 33% in one day
Quartz, February 13, 2020

China accused of under-reporting coronavirus outbreak
Financial Times, February 13, 2020

Chinese public dial in for support as coronavirus takes mental toll
Reuters, February 13, 2020

Shut out: Virus pushes China's seriously ill to back of queue
Al Jazeera, February 12, 2020

Hong Kong (香港)

Coronavirus: Unions urges medics to halt work if Hong Kong Hospital Authority cannot provide adequate protective gear
Hong Kong Free Press, February 13, 2020

China replaces senior Hong Kong official Zhang Xiaoming
Financial Times, February 13, 2020

Related:
China replaces head of its Hong Kong and Macau affairs office
Reuters, February 12, 2020

About 100 people protest in Hong Kong over plan to use Fo Tan public housing estate as quarantine site
South China Morning Post, February 12, 2020

Semi-quarantined: Living with the coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong
Global Voices, February 12, 2020

銀髮族遊行 要求林鄭月娥交代 CSI 口罩去向 「病毒可怕,但林鄭管治更可怕」 ("Silver-hair" protesters march to demand Carrie Lam explain where face masks made by Correctional Services were sent to)
Stand News, February 12, 2020

抗爭者傷勢相 入圍 Sony 世界攝影獎 港攝記高仲明:願更多人知道香港事 (Photos depicting Hong Kong protesters' injuries enter global photography competition)
Stand News, February 11, 2020

Commentary (评论)

Why a coronavirus-fuelled revolution in China is unlikely, despite Western commentators’ fondest hopes
South China Morning Post, February 13, 2020