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 06, 2022

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Beijing’s New Year's resolutions for tech
Protocol, January 5, 2022

As Beijing Takes Control, Chinese Tech Companies Lose Jobs and Hope
企业裁员、就业市场降温:监管重创中国互联网行业

The New York Times, January 6, 2022

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Answers to Some Big Questions
关于北京冬奥会的重要疑问以及回答

The New York Times, January 6, 2022

人权组织批国际奥委会不愿就新疆强迫劳动问题进行对话(Human rights organization slams IOC for ignoring dialogue request on forced labor in Xinjiang)
Voice of America, January 6, 2022

Hong Kong (香港)

《立場》案後至少六家網媒停運或終止新聞工作 (After Stand News, at least six online media outlets have suspended operations or terminated news reporting)
inmedia.hk, January 6, 2022

Work as usual, then tears as Hong Kong’s Citizen News bids farewell
Hong Kong Free Press, January 6, 2022

《明報》觀點版新增編按:絕無意圖煽動憎恨 (Ming Pao adds editor’s note on opinion page: No intention to incite hatred)
inmedia.hk, January 6, 2022

香港學生正蜂擁至加拿大留學 (Hong Kong students are flocking to study in Canada)
inmedia.hk, January 6, 2022

Top Beijing official in Hong Kong lays out 5 expectations for new lawmakers in unprecedented meeting
South China Morning Post, January 5, 2022

Commentary (评论)

Crimes Ordinance Sedition versus Hong Kong’s National Security Law: different legal tools, same outcome?
The China Collection, January 6, 2022

Excerpt:
The use of the sedition provision is also part of a larger strategy by the government to diversify its national security toolkit: the Stand News arrests show that the government wants to move away from using the heavy artillery of the NSL in all cases, and instead wants to use different legal and criminal tools for different circumstances.

This diversification of the national security toolkit will be a key part of the government’s strategy in 2022: Chief Executive Carrie Lam has made clear that Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation will be a key priority for the new year. Once that legislation is completed, the government will have an entire new set of national security laws that can be used to threaten, intimidate, or jail its political opponents. It can save the NSL itself for only the most high-priority targets.

Wednesday, January 05, 2022

Xinjiang (新疆)

Uyghurs in Turkey file criminal complaint against Chinese officials
Reuters, January 5, 2022

Access to Information (公众知情权)

转载|江雪:长安十日(Repost|Jiang Xue: Ten Days in Chang'an)
NGOCN, January 4, 2022

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China rolls out new regulation to rein in algorithms used on apps as Beijing continues to clip wings of Big Tech firms
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2022

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

Faced With Questions About Forced Labor in China, the I.O.C. Is Tight-Lipped
面对中国人权质疑,一个保持沉默的国际奥委会

New York Times, January 5, 2022

Olympic Committee Becomes Latest Target of Critics of Treatment of Uyghurs
Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2022

Related:
华尔街日报称:国际奥委会成维吾尔族人权组织发难目标 (Wall Street Journal: ICO is target of Uyghur human rights organization)
Radio France Internationale, January 5, 2022

Hong Kong (香港)

Online platform Mad Dog Daily shuts down, becoming second Hong Kong media outlet to fold after Stand News arrests
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2022

網站公告 (inmedia.hk, online news outlet, disables public submission function)
inmedia.hk, January 4, 2022

《立場》前董事吳靄儀入稟要求警方歸還部分檢取資料 禁查閱取用 (Former board member of defunct Stand News files for return of, access ban to materials seized by police)
inmedia.hk, January 5, 2022

Incumbent president of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Andrew Leung re-elected unopposed
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2022

Commentary (评论)

第四權 (The fourth estate)
Ming Pao, January 5, 2022

Excerpt:
新聞自由的環境跟過去已大不相同,大家都心裏有數。太多的「不確定性」,令人如履薄冰,如果說新聞界沒有擔憂,相信只是自欺欺人。(The environment for press freedom is very different from the past, and everyone knows it well. Too much "uncertainty" is making people walk on thin ice. To say the press does not have to worry is, I believe, just deceiving ourselves.)

2022年的命運 (Our fate in 2022)
Ming Pao, January 5, 2022

Excerpt:
躺平、沉默都會引來責難,看來這就是香港人在2022年的命運。(Even lying flat and staying silent will invite censure: this is the fate of the Hong Kong people in 2022)

Tuesday, January 04, 2022

Xinjiang (新疆)

New Xinjiang party chief pledges to follow President Xi Jinping’s policy on the sensitive region
South China Morning Post, December 27, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

One Free Press Coalition spotlights rising imprisonment of journalists in China
Deustche Welle, January 3, 2022

CHRISTMAS AS USUAL: CCP DETAINS HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
China Digital Times, December 30, 2021

Concerns grow for health of rights lawyer, dissident detained in Xiamen crackdown
Radio Free Asia, December 27, 2021

Counterterrorism (反恐)

Confronting China’s International Counterterror Regime: Pay Attention to the SCO
The Diplomat, December 28, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

新冠溯源:从自然来源论向实验室泄露论的转折是如何完成的?(Covid-19 origin probe: From nature to laboratory leaks)
Radio France Internationale, January 3, 2022

Even in secret, China’s leaders speak in code
The Economist, January 1, 2022

The Chinese Communist Party’s Big Year
Foreign Policy, December 28, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

美媒:中国网监触角伸向国外 用数据分析工具压制网上异见声音(U.S. media: Chinese Internet surveillance tentacles reach abroad, using data analysis tools to suppress online dissent)
Voice of America, January 1, 2022

Related:
China harvests masses of data on Western targets, documents show
The Washington Post, December 31, 2021

年终报道:中国是全球新冠虚假信息攻势的领头者(Year-end summary: China is frontrunner of global Covid-19 disinformation offensive)
Voice of America, December 31, 2021

China’s cybersecurity watchdog unveils two-month campaign to stamp out social media manipulation as part of industry crackdown
South China Morning Post, December 24, 2021

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

What Is the I.O.C. Doing About Forced Labour in China? It Won't Say.
The New York Times, January 4, 2022

Global Imams Council prohibits Muslims from competing in, attending Beijing Winter Olympics
Armenian News-NEWS.am, January 3, 2022

Related:
GIC STATEMENT ON THE 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS
The Global Imams Council, December 30, 2021

全球伊玛目理事会发声明抵制北京冬奥 (Global Imams Council issue statement on boycotting Beijing Winter Olympics)
Deutsche Welle, January 2, 2022

Human Rights Watch Germany asks IOC chief Bach to resign
Netherlandsnewslive.com, January 3, 2022

Tory peer to lead boycott of Coca-Cola over role in Beijing Winter Olympics
The Guardian, January 2, 2022

Japan says ‘no plans’ for gov’t officials to attend Beijing Olympics, calls on China to respect human rights
Agence France-Presse, December 24, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Tiananmen vigil: Hong Kong activist jailed for 10 extra months following second incitement conviction over banned June 4 gatherings
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2022

Related:
煽惑六四集結罪成 鄒幸彤:無論法庭如何審判我的文字 都不是停止寫作的理由 (Chow Hang-tung, convicted of inciting June Fourth assembly: How the court judges my words is not a reason to stop writing)
Inmedia.hk, January 4, 2022

Stand News closes, content deleted following arrests and police raid; Chief Sec. slams ‘evil elements’
Hong Kong Free Press, December 29, 2021

Related:
Hong Kong police chief says more Stand News arrests possible
South China Morning Post, January 1, 2022

早報:《立場新聞》鍾沛權和林紹桐申請保釋被拒,何韻詩等四人獲保釋(Stand News senior staffs Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam are denied bail, four former board members are granted bail)
Initium Media, December 31, 2021

《立場》英國分社停運 楊天帥辭任分社主任(Stand News UK branch halts operations; UK officer Yeung Tin Shui resigns)
inmedia.hk, December 30, 2021

《立場新聞》已移除網站及社交專頁內容(Stand News removes all website and social media content)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 30, 2021

Hong Kong’s Citizen News to close citing fears for staff safety
The Guardian, January 3, 2022

Related:
《眾新聞》宣布後日停運:身在風眼,須確保船上人平安 (Citizen News announces suspension Jan 4: In the eye of the storm, we must ensure safety of people on board)
inmedia.hk, January 2, 2022

How Beijing Has Muted Hong Kong's Independent Media
The New York Times, January 3, 2022

Hong Kong's Lam: Media closures unrelated to press freedom
The Washington Post, January 4, 2022

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and ex-Apple Daily journalists face additional charge over ‘seditious publications’
Hong Kong Free Press, December 28, 2021

Hong Kong protests: 5 convicted of rioting, resisting police during clashes on National Day in 2019
South China Morning Post, December 31, 2021

Lawmakers in Hong Kong new ‘patriots-only’ legislature sworn in by Chief Executive Carrie Lam
Hong Kong Free Press, January 3, 2022

New rule kicks in for Hong Kong schools to hold regular flag-raising ceremonies, some campuses seek training help from police
South China Morning Post, January 3, 2022

Pro-Beijing teachers’ group in Hong Kong granted vacant school premises to set up centre for patriotic, national education
South China Morning Post, December 28, 2021

Commentary (评论)

煽動苛法無邊 傳媒岌岌可危 (Boundless harsh incitement laws pose imminent danger to media)
Ming Pao, January 4, 2022

2021年香港回顾:那些年让港人耳熟能詳的人、物、事 (2021 Hong Kong in Review: People and things once familiar to the Hong Kong people)
BBC, December 31, 2021

Speed of Stand News shutdown sends chilling signal to Hong Kong’s media
The Guardian, December 29, 2021

Related:
Hong Kong: Downward spiral for press freedom continues after arrests
Amnesty International, December 29, 2021

In 2022, The World Must Hold China to Account for Genocide
The Diplomat, December 31, 2021

【网络文摘】方方亲笔撰文:我为什么不发声了[Fang Fang: Why I don't speak out anymore)
Radio France Internationale, December 31, 2021

Why So Many Democracies Are Floundering
民主国家面临的最大困境是什么?

The New York Times, December 30, 2021

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

Intel faces backlash in China after banning products and labour from Xinjiang
Reuters, December 23, 2021

拜登签署法案,禁止从新疆进口商品,除非证明不涉及强制劳动(Biden signs bill to ban imports from Xinjiang unless the importer can prove they are not made with forced labor)
Radio France Internationale, December 23, 2021

Related:
Biden signs Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law
The Washington Post, December 23, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

Fury in China After an Outspoken Teacher Disappears
New York Times, December 23, 2021

中国怎么了?两名女教师一个遭开除,一个“被精神病”( What's wrong with China? Two female teachers: one is expelled, the other is "mentally ill")
Voice of America, December 23, 2021

中国瞄准在线平台寻求“清理”互联网(China takes aim at online platforms, seeking to "clean up" the Internet)
Radio Free Asia, December 23, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China contemplates better laws to promote gender equality, but remains hostile to ‘radical’ feminist campaigns
SupChina, December 22, 2021

对付中国 日本第一次任命国际人权特别顾问供国会议员咨询(To deal with China, Japan appoints for the first time an int’l human rights special adviser for members of parliament to consult)
Radio France Internationale, December 23, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

When Chinese tech firms like Lenovo get caught in a nationalist social media storm
South China Morning Post, December 23, 2021

Pro-China misinformation group continues spreading messages, researchers say.
研究称亲中国虚假信息传播网络仍在积极活动

The New York Times, December 23, 2021

合作反制中国 美日澳携手支持南太平洋5G建设(Cooperating to counter China, U.S., Japan, Australia join in supporting 5G construction in the South Pacific)
Voice of America, December 23, 2021

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

Winter Olympics: NHL will not send players to Beijing
BBC News, December 23, 2021

北京冬奥会能源转型 太阳能板占农田 农民抗议遭关押(Peasants protesting solar panels on their farmland—installed to show energy transition for Beijing Winter Olympics—get beaten)
Radio France Internationale, December 22, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Outcry as Hong Kong University memorial to Tiananmen Square victims is removed
The Guardian, December 23, 2021

Hong Kong must wake up from ‘myth of American-style democracy’, says top Beijing diplomat
South China Morning Post, December 23, 2021

Hong Kong Justice Dep’t denies ‘political prosecutions,’ omits mention of national security in annual report
Hong Kong Free Press, December 23, 2021

通訊局就法庭對一集《頭條新聞》節目所作裁決提出上訴(Communications Authority appeals court ruling on one episode of Headliner)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 22, 2021

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

Meet the New Uyghurs
The Diplomat, December 21, 2021

US chip maker Intel triggers Chinese media backlash after telling suppliers to avoid Xinjiang labour
South China Morning Post, December 22, 2021

Taiwan (台湾)

西藏两名女政治犯获释后 因在狱中遭受酷刑健康状况恶化(Health of two released Tibetan female political prisoners deteriorates due to torture in prison)
Radio Free Asia, December 22, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

'Disappeared' rights lawyer Tang Jitian 'tortured' in incommunicado detention: friend
Radio Free Asia, December 21, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

湖南教师李田田失联,曾称被“强行关进”精神病院(Hunan teacher Li Tiantian is incommunicado, was once reportedly "forcibly imprisoned" in a mental hospital)
Caixin, December 22, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Why China could win the new global arms race
中国是否能在新的全球军备竞赛中成为获胜者
British Broadcasting Corporation, December 22, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

US-China tech war: ‘tech progress’ law to be amended to emphasise state’s role in innovation, add support for women
South China Morning Post, December 22, 2021

Tech Regulation in China Brings in Sweeping Changes
The Diplomat, December 21, 2021

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

Human cost of China's green energy rush ahead of Winter Olympics
Agence France-Presse, December 21, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong gov’t condemns criticism of ‘patriots’ election, as China media hails ‘high’ turnout
Hong Kong Free Press, December 22, 2021

支聯會梁錦威認未按國安處要求交資料 加監兩月(Former HK Alliance committee member Leung Kam-wai is sentenced to an additional 2 months in prison for failing to submit information requested by national security department)
Ming Pao, December 22, 2021

鄒幸彤第 11 次被拒保釋 控方要求記下戴帽舉手旁聽 官:可不尊重法官但要尊重法庭(Former HK Alliance vice-chair Chow Hang-tung is denied bail for the 11th time; prosecution requests to mark down name of man wearing cap in courtroom)
Stand News, December 22, 2021

Commentary (评论)

习近平已经进入“毛晚期”——文革史学家宋永毅专访(Xi Jinping has entered the "late Mao period": Interview with Song Yongyi, historian of the Cultural Revolution)
British Broadcasting Corporation, December 21, 2021

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

China sanctions four US religious freedom commission officials over Xinjiang
Agence France-Presse, December 21, 2021

Tibet (西藏)

US announces new special coordinator for Tibetan issues
South China Morning Post, December 21, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China mulls bolstering laws on women’s rights and sexual harassment
The Guardian, December 21, 2021

Chinese Authorities May Put Prominent Activists Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi On Trial Around End-of-Year Holidays, PEN America and China Human Rights Defenders Warn
Chinese Human Rights Defenders, December 20, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

HENAN TRAINS SURVEILLANCE ON JOURNALISTS, STUDENTS
China Digital Times, December 20, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

“米兔运动”效应 中国拟大修妇女权益保障法(#MeToo Movement Effect: China plans to overhaul the Law on Protection of Women's Rights and Interests)
Radio Free Asia, December 20, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China’s Big Tech crackdown: number of apps falls 40 per cent over 3 years amid new data laws and clean-up campaigns
South China Morning Post, December 21, 2021

中国加大对全球航运数据的掌控,引发美国政府担忧(China increases its control over global shipping data, triggering concerns from U.S. gov’t)
The Wall Street Journal, December 21, 2021

晚報:美媒調查報道審視招標文件,揭上海民企協助中國官方網絡「信息戰」(Evening News: From bidding documents, U.S. media investigative reports reveal role of Shanghai private enterprises in China's official online "information war")
The Initium, December 21, 2021

Related:
Buying Influence: How China Manipulates Facebook and Twitter
购买影响力:中国如何操纵Facebook和Twitter
The New York Times, December 20, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

G7, EU, Five Eyes condemn Hong Kong elections while US sanctions five Chinese officials
South China Morning Post, December 21, 2021

Related:
G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections
U.S. Department of State, December 20, 2021

China accuses Australia of ‘violent’ interference in Five Eyes response to Hong Kong election
The Guardian, December 21, 2021

【初選47人案】黃子悅還柙逾9個月 冬至獲批出保釋(Prince Wong, one of the 47 pro-democracy figures charged under National Security Law, is granted bail after more than 9 months of detention)
inmedia.hk, December 21, 2021

Related:
【初選 47 人案】黃子悅高院申保釋 男子戴帽旁聽遭官要求離庭(In Prince Wong's bail hearing, man wearing black cap is asked to leave the courtroom)
Stand News, December 21, 2021

Commentary (评论)

Why Authoritarian Regimes Bother With Elections
The Atlantic, December 21, 2021

Hong Kong and Taiwan both vote, in very different ways, with very different results
SupChina, December 20, 2021

An Appeal to the Chinese Government Regarding Guo Feixiong’s Departure From China
China Change, December 20, 2021

Monday, December 20, 2021

Taiwan (台湾)

China says Taiwan is a 'wanderer' that will eventually come home
Reuters, December 20, 2021

Macao (澳门)

澳門特區與最高人民法院今簽署《關於進一步加強司法法律交流合作的會談紀要》(Macao SAR, PRC’s Supreme People's Court sign "Minutes of the Talks on Further Strengthening Judicial and Legal Exchanges and Cooperation")
Cyber CTM, December 17, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Peng Shuai retracts sexual assault claims as fears over wellbeing persist
The Guardian, December 19, 2021

Chinese rights lawyer incommunicado after writing to Li Keqiang over travel ban
Radio Free Asia, December 17, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

THE CCP’S WILLING INFLUENCERS AMPLIFY STATE PROPAGANDA ONLINE
China Digital Times, December 17, 2021

路透社:亚马逊为讨好北京而与中国宣传机构合作(Reuters: Amazon cooperates with Chinese propaganda agencies to please Beijing)
Voice of America, December 18, 2021

Related:
Special Report: Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm
Reuters, December 17, 2021

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

‘The world must boycott’: Australian Uyghur calls for more pressure on Beijing Games
The Guardian, December 18, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

‘Hit back when criticised on human rights’: Xi to officials
South China Morning Post, December 18, 2021

China prepares new sexual harassment safeguards for women
Reuters, December 20, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

北京网信办约谈处罚知乎网 因多次出现法律法规禁止发布或传输的信息等问题(Beijing Cyberspace Affairs Office questioned and punished Zhihu.com for issues including releasing or transmitting information prohibited by laws and regulations)
Reuters, December 20, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong Legco election: city splits into ‘parallel universes’ as some residents vote while others shop or go sightseeing
South China Morning Post, December 19, 2021

Related:
Hong Kong: Why the Legco elections are so controversial
BBC News, December 19, 2021

晚報:中國國務院發表白皮書,稱要探索「具有香港特色的民主發展道路」(Evening News: PRC State Council publishes white paper saying it will explore "a democratic development path with Hong Kong characteristics")
The Intitium, December 20, 2021

《“一国两制”下香港的民主发展》白皮书
Full Text: Hong Kong Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems
The State Council Information Office, December 20, 2021

五眼聯盟聯合聲明:嚴重關注香港選舉制度民主成分受侵蝕(Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group issues joint statement concerning erosion of democratic elements under HK's election system)
Stand News, December 20, 2021

Hong Kong police arrest 2 on suspicion of inciting others to attack government officials ahead of Legislative Council election
South China Morning Post, December 17, 2021

廉署通緝羅冠聰、張崑陽等5人涉煽惑他人不投票(ICAC issues warrant to arrest 5 who had left Hong Kong, including Nathan Law and Sunny Cheung, for inciting others to not vote)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 18, 2021

民主派初選47人案|吳敏兒高院申保釋被拒 旁聽者戴黃口罩穿黃傘圖案衣被要求離開(Carol Ng, one of the 47 pro-democracy figures charged under National Security Law, is denied bail; man wearing yellow mask and woman in clothing with yellow umbrella are asked to leave court room)
Ming Pao, December 20, 2021

Commentary (评论)

Hong Kong’s Rigged Election
The Diplomat, December 18, 2021

How a ruling by Hong Kong’s top court opens the door to a more intrusive security law
Hong Kong Free Press, December 17, 2021

黎学文:一个律师的苦与痛(Li Xuewen: The suffering and pain of a lawyer)
Weiquanwang, December 18, 2021

Friday, December 17, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

US hits China with new trade curbs and sanctions over forced Uyghur labour
Agence France-Presse, December 17, 2021

Related:
China vows to respond after US Xinjiang sanctions passed
Agence France-Presse, December 17, 2021

Yidiresi Aishan: rights group appeals to UN over Moroccan court’s extradition ruling against Uygur dissident
South China Morning Post, December 17, 2021

Senate Passes Bill Banning Imports From Chinese Region Over Treatment of Uyghurs
美国参议院通过禁止从中国新疆地区进口商品的议案
The Wall Street Journal, December 17 2021

新疆再抓捕少数民族 哈国人权领袖收到死亡威胁(Authorities continue to arrest Muslims in Xinjiang; Kazakh human rights leader receives death threats for releasing information on Xinjiang)
Radio Free Asia, December 17, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China’s #MeToo Victims Face Abuse, Payback for Going Public
The Diplomat, December 17, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

年终报道:2021年中共舆论控制与信息封锁新顶峰(Year-end report: New peak of CPC's public opinion control and information blockade in 2021)
Voice of America, December 17, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

U.S. Cracks Down on Firms Said to Aid China’s Repression of Minorities
美国将数十家中国企业和机构列入受限实体名单

The New York Times, December 17, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong ‘patriots’ election: Chair of largest pro-democracy party under attack by Beijing state media
Hong Kong Free Press, December 17, 2021

Hong Kong after electoral overhaul and post-national security law: how quiet will this year’s Legislative Council poll be?
South China Morning Post, December 17, 2021

警拘兩人涉籲影響選舉 包括網上討論群組管理員(Police arrest two, including online discuss group manager, for urging others to influence election)
Radio Television Hong Kong, December 17, 2021

【蘋果高層案】 還押近 5 個月 前英文版總編盧峯高院申保釋遭拒(Former Apple Daily English chief editor is denied bail after nearly 5 months of detention)
Stand News, December 17, 2021

Chinese emblem replaces Hong Kong insignia in city’s legislature for lawmakers’ oath-taking
Hong Kong Free Press, December 17, 2021

Police watchdog chair Priscilla Wong to lead University of Hong Kong’s governing council
South China Morning Post, December 17, 2021

Commentary (评论)

审查、监控、压迫:不,中国不是“民主”国家(Censorship, surveillance, oppression: No, China is not a "democratic" country)
Voice of America, December 17, 2021

Censorship, Surveillance, Suppression: No, China Is Not a ‘Democracy’
Polygraph.info, December 9, 2021

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

What is happening in Xinjiang as 2021 draws to a close?
SupChina, December 16, 2021

Taiwan (台湾)

四项公投在即 台最新报告显示中共操弄反“莱猪”资讯引导仇美(On eve of 4 referendums, Taiwan’s latest report shows CPC manipulated information to rouse hostility toward U.S. pork imports)
Voice of America, December 16, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Dissident couple stand trial over criticism of Beijing, foreign media interviews
Radio Free Asia, December 15, 2021

著名人权律师、北京道衡律师所主任梁小军被中共当局正式吊销律师执照(License of Liang Xiaojun, well-known human rights lawyer and director of Beijing Daoheng Law Firm, is formally revoked)
Weiquanwang, December 16, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

How much censorship is ‘enough’ for Beijing?
Protocol, December 15, 2021

OOPS! LITTLE PINKS UNWITTINGLY CALL XI JINPING A “RACE TRAITOR”
China Digital Times, December 15, 2021

记者无疆界:越来越多的记者被任意拘押(Reporters Without Borders: Number of journalists being arbitrarily detained is rising)
Deutsche Welle, December 16, 2021

Related:
2021 Round-Up: Journalists detained, killed, held hostage and missing
Reporters Without Borders, December 15, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

英国发表网络新战略 网络部队据信会以攻为守打击中方黑客力量(UK announces new National Cyber Strategy, aimed at Chinese hacking capabilities)
Voice of America, December 16, 2021

Related:
New Blueprint to protect UK from Cyber Threats
UK government, December 15, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China’s internet censors are taking down top influencers for not being good enough socialists
South China Morning Post, December 16, 2021

简易版“领英”登陆中国 社交及分享功能被删除(LinkedIn relaunches simplified version in China, removing social and sharing functions)
Voice of America, December 16, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong elections: anti-graft agency charges 2 with inciting others to cast blank ballots in Legislative Council poll
South China Morning Post, December 16, 2021

Protest graffiti students acquitted by Hong Kong court over ‘unreliable’ police testimony
Hong Kong Free Press, December 16, 2021

Hong Kong gov’t and judiciary clam up after falsely claiming activist Nathan Law jumped bail
Hong Kong Free Press, December 16, 2021

Commentary (评论)

China’s Fake Twitter Accounts Are Tweeting Into the Void
Foreign Policy, December 15, 2021

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

US House passes final version of China bill that bans all Xinjiang imports over forced labour
South China Morning Post, December 15, 2021

Related:
美众院通过《防止强迫维吾尔人劳动法》 下一步待参院表决(U.S. House passes The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act)
Voice of America, December 15, 2021

How an independent tribunal came to rule that China is guilty of genocide against the Uyghurs
The Conversation, December 14, 2021

Tibet (西藏)

数据显示上千西藏政治犯被关押,海外藏人呼吁国际抵制北京冬奥(Statistics show that thousands of Tibetan political prisoners; overseas Tibetans call for international boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics)
Voice of America, December 15, 2021

藏族僧人因传播达赖喇嘛书籍和讲经获刑五年(Tibetan monk is sentenced to 5 years in prison for disseminating Dalai Lama books, lectures)
Radio Free Asia, December 14, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Court in China's Guangxi jails lawyer for 'subversion' over slogan
Radio Free Asia, December 14, 2021

Related:
广西律师陈家鸿煽动颠覆国家政权罪成判囚三年(Guangxi human rights lawyer Chen Jiahong is sentenced to 3 years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power”)
Radio Free Asia, December 14, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

WHY CHINA RAGED OVER AMERICA’S “SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY”
China Digital Times, December 14, 2021

Blinken, in Indonesia, Stresses Soft Power to Counter China
布林肯访问东南亚,强调软实力制衡中国

The New York Times, December 15, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Chinese nationalists have a new target: Lenovo
Protocol, December 14, 2021

美媒:三千页简报曝光 华为参与中国监控计划(U.S. media: 3,000-page briefing exposes Huawei's participation in China's surveillance program)
Deutsche Welle, December 15, 2021

Related:
Documents link Huawei to China’s surveillance programs
The Washington Post, December 14, 2021

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

北京冬奥:外交抵制到底会有多大影响(Beijing Winter Olympics: How much impact will the diplomatic boycott have?)
British Broadcasting Corporation, December 14, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Stringent national security bail threshold applicable to other offences, Hong Kong’s top court rules
Hong Kong Free Press, December 15, 2021

立法會選舉|廉署再拘4人涉煽惑投白票及不投票 消息稱包括前中大學生會會長蘇浚鋒 (Independent Commission Against Corruption arrests another 4, including former CUHK student union chair Jacky So, for inciting others to cast blank vote or not vote)
Ming Pao, December 15, 2021

Hong Kong court orders winding up of Jimmy Lai’s Next Digital media group, parent company of Apple Daily
South China Morning Post, December 15, 2021

88,000 Hong Kongers apply for new British resettlement visa
Hong Kong Free Press, December 15, 2021

Is Hong Kong’s judicial independence hanging in the balance? British foreign minister suggests it is, drawing swift rebuke from Beijing
South China Morning Post, December 14, 2021

Related:
Six-monthly report on Hong Kong: January to June 2021
UK government, December 14, 2021

無國界記者籲港府釋放黎智英、何桂藍 指中共再展噤聲的決心(Reporters Without Borders calls for the release of Jimmy Lai and Gwyneth Ho, slams CPC’s “determination to silence”)
inmedia.hk, December 14, 2021

Related:
Hong Kong: Two detained press freedom defenders, including Jimmy Lai, given new prison sentences
Reporters Without Borders, December 14, 2021

Commentary (评论)

Chinese Authorities Double Down on Tibetan Reincarnations
Human Rights Watch, December 15, 2021

Its Human Rights Record in Question, China Turns to an Old Friend
国际奥委会与中国:一对共生互利的“老朋友”

The New York Times, December 15, 2021

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Taiwan (台湾)

Curious case of a map & a 'disappearing' Taiwan minister at US democracy meet
The Times of India, December 14, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

Chinese regulator punishes Weibo for allowing ‘forbidden’ information on its platform
South China Morning Post, December 14, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China’s Big New Idea
The Atlantic, December 14, 2021

As trial begins for Harvard professor accused of lying about China ties, US ‘China Initiative’ faces renewed scrutiny
South China Morning Post, December 14, 2021

困在印尼苏拉威西岛的中国工人(Chinese workers trapped in Sulawesi, Indonesia)
The Paper, December 13, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

微软领英(LinkedIn)中国服务战略转型,全新应用“领英职场”上线【领英职场将不再涵盖用户原创内容的发布与互动功能】(LinkedIn transforms its China service strategy: new application "LinkedIn Workplace" will no longer provide publishing and interactive functions for original content from users])
IT Home, December 14, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog makes first ever arrest over doxxing
Hong Kong Free Press, December 14, 2021

Hong Kong election staff told to avoid wearing yellow masks, voters advised to cover slogans on clothing
Hong Kong Free Press, December 14, 2021

譚得志涉發表煽動文字案 明年2月22日裁決 控方稱不承認中共地位即違法(In Tam Tak-chi’s sedition case, prosecution says non-recognition of CPC’s status breaches the law; case adjourned until February 22 next year)
Ming Pao, December 14, 2021

【羊村繪本案】終院:國安嚴格保釋標準適用非國安法罪行(In case of speech therapists union members charged with sedition, Court of Final Appeal rules national security bail standard is applicable to non-national security offences)
inmedia.hk, December 14, 2021

鄒幸彤涉煽動顛覆國家政權罪 第10次申保釋被拒(HK Alliance former vice-chair Chow Hang-tung charged with inciting subversion is denied bail for the 10th time)
Ming Pao, December 14, 2021

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam defends government’s history teaching policy amid Nanking massacre video controversy
South China Morning Post, December 14, 2021

英国就香港问题斥责中国(UK rebukes China over Hong Kong issues)
Zao Bao, December 14, 2021

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

China Turns to Olympic Committee as Peng Shuai Scandal Lingers
The New York Times, December 14, 2021

Commentary (评论)

谢燕益:没有私心就不会有恐惧——梁小军律师吊照听证代理词(Lawyer Xie Yanyi: Where there are no selfish motives, there will be no fear—Opinion on the hearing of revocation of lawyer Liang Xiaojun's license)
Weiquanwang, December 14, 2021

Monday, December 13, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

Uyghur genocide report ‘deeply disturbing,’ says UN
Agence France-Presse, December 13, 2021

US sanctions Chinese AI firm SenseTime, Xinjiang officials, citing human rights abuses
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China places lawyers, activists under house arrest on Human Rights Day
Radio Free Asia, December 10, 2021

Jailed Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan explains motivations in pre-arrest videos
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2021

广西维权律师陈家鸿律师煽颠案将于2021年12月14日上午开庭宣判(Guangxi Human Rights lawyer Chen Jiahong's incitement case will be tried on December 14, 2021)
Weiquanwang, December 13, 2021

天津公开退党第一人、维权人士张兰英涉嫌“寻衅滋事”案将于2021年12月17日在天津市南开区法院开庭审理(Rights activist Zhang Lanying—the first person in Tianjin to quit the CPC—will be tried at Nankai District Court, Tianjin, for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" on December 13)
Weiquanwang, December 13, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

International media watchdog digs into the ‘great leap backwards’ of journalism in China
GlobalVoices, December 10, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

欧盟驻华代表团国际人权日发表声明 关切中国人权问题( On International Human Rights Day, EU delegation to China issues statement of concern over China's human rights problems)
Radio Free China, December 13, 2021

Related:
Statement of the EU Delegation to China on the International Human Rights Day
Delegation of the European Union to China, December 10, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Douban punished for weak censorship, pulled from app stores
SupChina, December 10, 2021

Alibaba Fires Female Employee Who Accused Then-Supervisor of Sexual Assault
The Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 7 others get jail sentences ranging from 4½ to 14 months over banned Tiananmen Square vigil
South China Morning Post, December 13, 2021

Related:
‘Systemic erasure of history’: Hong Kong activists convicted over banned Tiananmen Massacre vigil deliver defiant mitigation pleas
Hong Kong Free Press, December 13, 2021

Hong Kong elections: covert ‘foreign agents’ in city could undermine Legislative Council poll, No 2 official John Lee warns
South China Morning Post, December 11, 2021

【立法會爭位】中大民調:33% 受訪市民表明不投票 較答「一定會」多(CUHK survey shows 33% of respondents say they will not vote, more than those who say they "will definitely vote")
Stand News, December 13, 2021

港駐倫敦經貿辦去信《星期日泰晤士報》 斥社論失實 籲杯葛選舉違法(Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London sends letter to Sunday Times accusing its editorial urging people not to vote of lacking factual basis and breaching the law)
Stand News, December 11, 2021

Related:
China shows its true colours — and they’re not pretty
The Sunday Times, December 5, 2021

Commentary (评论)

Why China Is Freaking Out Over Biden’s Democracy Summit
Foreign Policy, December 10, 2021

Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam should take Legco election voter turnout seriously
South China Morning Post, December 13, 2021

Students and teachers are running away from Hong Kong’s ‘patriotic’ education
Hong Kong Free Press, December 11, 2021

Thursday, December 09, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

House Votes to Impose Forced Labor Ban on Goods Made in Xinjiang
美国众议院通过法案,全面禁止进口新疆产品

The New York Times, December 9, 2021

Related:
US House passes bill to ban imports made by Xinjiang forced labour
South China Morning Post, December 9, 2021

Uyghurs subjected to genocide by China, unofficial UK tribunal finds
The Guardian, December 9, 2021

Related:
维吾尔族法庭:北京犯有种族灭绝罪(The Uyghur Tribunal: Chinese gov’t is committing genocide)
Deutsche Welle, December 9, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Group of Chevening scholars call on China to release detained #MeToo, labour activists
South China Morning Post, December 9, 2021

民主人士陈云飞以“强制猥亵罪”被判刑四年 外界哗然(Democracy activist Chen Yunfei’s 4-year sentence for "indecency" causes public uproar)
Radio Free Asia, December 8, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

2021年中国监禁记者人数全球居冠(China tops world in number of journalists imprisoned in 2021)
Deutsche Welle, December 9, 2021

Related:
Number of journalists behind bars reaches global high
Committee to Protect Journalists, December 9, 2021

被监禁新闻工作者人数又创新高
Committee to Protect Journalists, December 9, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Xi Jinping’s New World Order
Foreign Affairs, January/February 2022

China Wants to Rule the World by Controlling the Rules
The Atlantic, December 9, 2021

Xi Jinping wants lawyers in China to ‘follow and embrace’ the Communist Party’s leadership
South China Morning Post, December 9, 2021

中国特色的人权日:维权人士出门遭限(Human Rights Day with Chinese characteristics: Rights defenders are barred from going out)
Deutsche Welle, December 9, 2021

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

Canada and Britain join diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics, amid human rights concerns
South China Morning Post, December 9, 2021

Related:
Countries boycotting Beijing Olympic will ‘pay the price,’ China warns
Agence France-Presse, December 9, 2021

北京冬奥会遭多国外交抵制,中国当局“可能会为面子”作出反制(As Beijing Winter Olympics faces diplomatic boycott by many countries, Chinese authorities "may retaliate for the sake of face")
British Broadcasting Corporation, December 9, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Jimmy Lai among three Hong Kong democracy activists convicted over Tiananmen vigil
Agence France-Presse, December 9, 2021

TG群組涉煽惑「三罷」反對安心出行及投白票 4人被捕(4 arrested over inciting "three strikes": opposing Leave Home Safe app, casting blank ballots, rejecting vaccines)
inmedia.hk, December 9, 2021

廉署再拘3人涉互聯網轉載籲立法會選舉投白票(Independent Commission Against Corruption arrests 3 over reposting on Internet urging voters to cast blank ballots)
Ming Pao, December 9, 2021

It ‘does not mean anything’: Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam says low election turnout may mean gov’t is credible and doing well
Hong Kong Free Press, December 9, 2021

Hong Kong police, think tank separately publish teaching guides on Chinese culture, history to boost students’ sense of national identity
South China Morning Post, December 8, 2021

Commentary (评论)

Biden’s Democracy Conference Is About Much More Than Democracy
拜登“民主峰会”真正的意义

The New York Times, December 9, 2021

Hong Kong: Tiananmen vigil convictions an affront to human rights and international law
Amnesty International, December 9, 2021

Wednesday, December 08, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

彭博中国籍员工被拘留满一年 至今仍下落不明(Bloomberg Chinese employee has been detained for one year with her whereabouts still unknown)
Radio France Internationale, December 7, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

“THIS TIME, I STAND WITH THE WTA,” AKA “THE WOMEN’S TABLELESS PING PONG ASSOCIATION”
China Digital Times, December 7, 2021

China is biggest captor of journalists, says report
BBC News, December 8, 2021

调查:中国新闻业大跃退成“讯息黑洞” 恐成世界威胁(Investigation: China's journalism retreats into "information black hole," may constitute threat to the world)
Deutsche Welle, December 7, 2021

Related:
An unprecedented RSF investigation: The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China
Reporters Without Borders, December 7, 2021

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Chinese social media users slam state media for failure to expose sex abuses
Radio Free Asia, December 7, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Decoding Xi Jinping
Foreign Affairs, December 8, 2021

Ahead of Biden’s Democracy Summit, China Says: We’re Also a Democracy
北京发布《中国的民主》白皮书反击拜登“民主峰会”

The New York Times, December 8, 2021

无声的镇压 人权团体指控中共系统性剥夺被告法律权益(Silent suppression: human rights group accuses CPC of systematically depriving defendants of their legal rights)
Voice of America, December 8, 2021

Related:
Access Denied 3: China’s Legal Blockade
Safeguard Defenders, December 7, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China to tighten rules for tech companies seeking foreign funding
Financial Times, December 8, 2021

Apple’s ugly China deal mostly bought time
Reuters, December 8, 2021

苹果与中共千亿秘密协议曝光,舆论哗然(Apple and CPC's $275 billion secret deal causes uproar in public opinion)
Voice of America, December 8, 2021

Related:
Inside Tim Cook’s Secret $275 Billion Deal with Chinese Authorities
The Information, December 7, 2021

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (2022北京冬奥)

Australia joins US diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics, citing human rights abuses in Xinjiang
Agence France-Presse, December 8, 2021

How Many Countries Will Follow the U.S. Official Snub of Beijing's Olympics
The New York Times, December 7, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Barring legal aid recipients from choosing own lawyer could breach Hong Kong’s Basic Law and Bill of Rights, barristers say
Hong Kong Free Press, December 8, 2021

男子穿「HongKonger」黃傘衛衣被拒入庭 稱為查證是否有人「揸住雞毛當令箭」 涉撞傷女保安被捕(Man wearing jacket with "HongKonger" logo and yellow umbrella graphic is denied entry to court)
Ming Pao, December 8, 2021

Hong Kong press freedom is in ‘free fall’ as China’s journalism crackdown goes global, says Reporters Without Borders
Hong Kong Free Press, December 8, 2021