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, March 25, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

Why Are China’s Consumers Threatening to Boycott H&M and Other Brands?
The New York Times, March 25, 2021

H&M Faces Boycott in China Over Stance on Treatment of Uyghurs
H&M因拒用新疆棉花在华遭抵制

The New York Times, March 25, 2021

耐克新疆声明在中国社媒引发风暴(Nike's statement on Xinjiang triggers social media storm in China)
Voice of America, March 25, 2021

Related:
Nike faces social media storm in China over Xinjiang statement
Reuters, March 24, 2021

Inner Mongolia (内蒙古)

Mongolians in China Face 'Cultural Genocide' as Language, Culture Swept Aside: Group
Radio Free Asia, March 25, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

“学术自由指数”中国排名垫底 香港低过俄罗斯("Academic Freedom Index": China ranks bottom, Hong Kong lower than Russia)
Radio Free Asia, March 25, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China’s ‘blatant coercion’ of Australia is a lesson for the world, says Antony Blinken
The Sydney Morning Herald, March 25, 2021

US-EU announce dialogue on China; Nato pledges to work with Japan, other Asia-Pacific nations to counter Beijing
South China Morning Post, March 25, 2021

《自然》曝光造假论文“产业化” 大部分来自中国("Nature" exposes "industrialization" of fake papers, sourced mainly from China)
Radio Free Asia, March 24, 2021

Related:
The fight against fake-paper factories that churn out sham science
Science, March 23, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Australian ministers targeted in Telegram phishing scam aimed at revealing details of Hong Kong activists
South China Morning Post, March 25, 2021

China-based hackers used Facebook to target Uighurs abroad with malware
Reuters, March 24, 2021

Related:
脸书:中国骇客利用假冒手法侵入维吾尔人电脑手机(Facebook: Chinese hackers used counterfeit ploy to hack into Uyghur computers, phones)
Voice of America, March 25, 2021

China mulls new state-backed firm to oversee tech data: Report
Al Jazeera, March 25, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

鍾翰林涉分裂國家洗黑錢等4罪保釋被拒 還押至6月再訊(Court denies bail to former Studentlocalism convenor Tony Chung charged with alleged secession and money laundering)
Ming Pao, March 25, 2021

被控 4 項煽動行為罪 「傑斯」高院申保釋被拒(Bail denied by High Court to Internet radio host Giggs’ Wan Yiu-sing with 4 charges of sedition)
Stand News, March 25, 2021

Police say most of eight fugitives sent back to Hong Kong from mainland China refusing counsel, lawyer claims
South China Morning Post, March 25, 2021

Hong Kong legislature tightens curbs on unruly members even though there are none left
Hong Kong Free Press, March 25, 2021

本台查詢李宇軒下落 懲教署稱不會就個別個案作出評論(Andy Li has not been seen since return to Hong Kong; Correctional Services Department declines to comment on individual cases)
Radio Television Hong Kong, March 25, 2021

修訂議事規則決議案通過 行為極不檢點議員將暫停職務(Legislative Council passes rules amendment proposal; lawmakers can be suspended for misconduct)
Stand News, March 25, 2021

Related:
Resolution (Under Article 75 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China)
決議 (根據《中華人民共和國香港特別行政區基本法》第七十五條)
HKSAR Legislative Council, March 25, 2021

建制派選舉呈請勝訴 高院裁定李軒朗非妥為當選 第二名民主派區議員被 DQ(A second pro-democracy district councillors disqualified after pro-establishment party won High Court election petition)
Stand News, March 25, 2021

Hong Kong court grants justice department request to allow ‘joint enterprise’ prosecutions in riot, unlawful assembly cases
South China Morning Post, March 25, 2021

Related:
【赴湯杜火案】上訴庭:「合謀犯罪」原則適用於暴動罪 不在場者同可被控(Court of Appeal: “Joint enterprise” legal principle is applicable to rioting; those not physically present can face same charges)
Stand News, March 25, 2021

Exclusive: Hong Kong tells foreign governments to stop accepting special British passport
Reuters, March 25, 2021

Commentary (评论)

China’s EU Sanctions Are the Latest Proof: Beijing Doesn’t Understand Democracies
The Diplomat, March 25, 2021

Why Authoritarians Love the Olympics
Foreign Affairs, March 25, 2021

Beijing’s Schadenfreude Over the Capitol Riots Conceals Deep Anxiety
Foreign Policy, March 24, 2021

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

“北京在缓慢摧毁维吾尔民族” 新疆出生率暴跌的背后 (“Beijing is slowly destroying Uyghurs”—What's behind Xinjiang's declining birth rate?)
Voice of America, March 24, 2020

H&M's Xinjiang cotton ban sparks China backlash
Radio France Internationale, March 24, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

‘We’re in it together’, Antony Blinken tells Nato after flurry of China sanctions
South China Morning Post, March 23, 2021

专访:欧盟对华"能合作就合作,须对抗则对抗" (MEP Michael Gahler on EU's approach to China: "Cooperate when possible, compete when needed and confront when necessary.")
Deutsche Welle, March 23, 2021

China slams U.S. over racism, inequality, pandemic response
Associated Press, March 24, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong police charge activist Andy Li under security law after release from Chinese prison
Hong Kong Free Press, March 24, 2021

Exclusive | Political neutrality does not mean supporting neither side, Hong Kong minister says
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2021

Hong Kong protests: part of legal bid against first police use of tear gas on demonstrators ‘reasonably arguable’, court says
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2021

Hong Kong teachers, school administrators responsible for ensuring materials ‘correct, impartial’; education minister pledges oversight
South China Morning Post, March 24, 2021

教育局接269社會動亂相關專業失德投訴 取消兩教師註冊 52教師收譴責信或書面警告(Education Bureau received 269 social movement-related complaints, cancelled 2 teachers' registration and issued reprimand or warning letters to 52)
Ming Pao, March 24, 2021

Related:
LCQ4: Ordering teachers alleged to have breached law to be suspended from duties
立法會四題:着令涉嫌違法教師停職
HKSAR Legislative Council, March 24, 2021

Taiwan (台湾)

China threat to invade Taiwan is 'closer than most think', says US admiral
The Guardian, March 23, 2021

Commentary (评论)

How to engage with China over its treatment of Uyghurs
The Conversation, March 23, 2021

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

U.S. sanctions two more Chinese officials over alleged Xinjiang abuses
Reuters, March 22, 2021

Related:
U.S. Joins Allies to Punish Chinese Officials for Human Rights Abuses
美国欧盟等因新疆问题制裁中国,中国反制

The New York Times, March 23, 2021

China sanctions 10 Europeans including parliamentarians after EU approves measures over Uighur crackdown
Agence France-Presse, March 23, 2021

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

A Tale of Two Deltas: Worker resistance in Guangdong and Jiangsu
China Labour Bulletin, March 23, 2021

China prepares for Communist Party celebrations with crackdown on ‘illegal’ NGOs
South China Morning Post, March 23, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Russia and China hit back at Western sanctions
British Broadcasting Corporation, March 23, 2021

China’s vaccine diplomacy stumbles as clinical trial data remain absent
Washington Post, March 23, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong’s political future to be mapped out in Beijing next week
Hong Kong Free Press, March 23, 2021

Hong Kong court denies bail to ex-lawmaker charged under national security law
Hong Kong Free Press, March 23, 2021

Related:
民主派初選案 尹兆堅向高院申請保釋被拒 (High Court denies bail appeal by Andrew Wan, one of the 47 pro-democracy defendants)
Radio Television Hong Kong, March 23, 2021

Ex-lawmaker jailed for nine weeks after Hong Kong court deems community service not severe enough punishment for assaulting police
South China Morning Post, March 23, 2021

Hong Kong will distribute mainland books to schools to promote patriotism
Hong Kong Free Press, March 23, 2021

12港人關注組:李宇軒至今仍未能聯絡家屬 (Save 12 HK Youths Concern Group: Andy Li Yu-hin has not been able to contact family since return to Hong Kong)
Radio Television Hong Kong, March 23, 2021

Ex-lawmaker jailed for nine weeks after Hong Kong court deems community service not severe enough punishment for assaulting police
South China Morning Post, March 23, 2021

Hong Kong protests: prosecutors sought 17 sentencing reviews in 2020, marking fourfold increase, justice minister reveals
South China Morning Post, March 23, 2021

Related:
律政司去年提17宗覆核刑罰申請 16宗涉反修例(Department of Justice sought 17 sentencing reviews in 2020—16 are Anti-ELAB protests-related)
Ming Pao, March 23, 2021

Brief summary of some sentencing principles laid down by the Court of Appeal
簡要概述上訴法庭制定的一些判刑原則
HKSAR Department of Justice, March 23, 2021

Chief of Hong Kong’s troubled West Kowloon arts hub vows to handle inaugural exhibitions at flagship museum in accordance with national security law
South China Morning Post, March 23, 2021

香港民研:民主法治等五項指標全部下跌 均創今年新低 (Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute: All 5 core social indicators including democracy and rule of law drop to new record low)
Radio Television Hong Kong, March 23, 2021

Related:
POP releases five core social indicators
民研計劃發放五項核心社會指標
Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, March 23, 2021

Monday, March 22, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

China: Parents of missing Uyghur children describe horror of family separation
Amnesty International, March 19, 2021

Related:
The Nightmare of Uyghur Families Separated by Repression
Amnesty International, March, 2021

[Animated video] Reeducated: Inside Xinjiang’s Detention Camps
The New Yorker, March 19, 2021

EU agrees China sanctions over human rights abuses
Deutsche Welle, March 17, 2021

Related:
Xinjiang sanctions not enough to convince China hawks to support EU investment deal
South China Morning Post, March 20, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Canadian Michael Kovrig awaits verdict after trial in China
The Guardian, March 22, 2021

北京闭门庭审加拿大前外交官康明凯 近30名外交官庭外声援加拿大(Beijing court hears case of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig in closed trial; nearly 30 foreign diplomats show support for Canada outside of court)
Voice of America, March 22, 2021

张展已被转到上海女子监狱,家属要求探监遭拒(Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan is transferred to Shanghai Women’s Prison, denied family visits)
Weiquanwang, March 21, 2021

六四天网创始人、人权捍卫者黄琦狱中境况危殆 88岁母亲蒲文清肺肿瘤转移(Rights defender Huang Qi, founder of 64 Tianwang website, is in critical condition in prison; mother, Pu Wenqing, 88, has metastasized lung tumor)
Weiquanwang, March 20, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

中国网络审查内幕:一个前任微博审查员的自述(Inside China's internet censorship: Account by former Weibo censor)
British Broadcasting Corporation, March 20, 2021

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

China to crack down harder on illegal social organizations
Xinhua, March 22, 2021