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.

Monday, April 12, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Chinese Political Prisoner Dies Amid Suspicion of Torture, Mistreatment
Radio Free Asia, April 12, 2021

Related:
维权人士郭宏伟狱中死亡 生前曾遭虐待(Human rights activist Guo Hongwei dies in prison and was tortured before death)
Radio France Internationale, April 11, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

Chinese Shows Blur Western Brands Over Xinjiang Dispute
打上马赛克的运动鞋:西方品牌因新疆棉遭中国综艺审查

The New York Times, April 12, 2021

新疆棉花:四大跨国企业在巴黎遭人权诉讼(Xinjiang Cotton: Four major transnational companies face human rights lawsuits in Paris)
Radio France Internationale, April 11, 2021

Related:
Forced labor of Uyghurs: filing of a complaint in France against multinationals for concealment of forced labor and crimes against humanity
Sherpa, April 12, 2021

China’s Crackdown on Islam Brings Back Memories of 1975 Massacre
Foreign Policy, April 11, 2021

Taiwan (台湾)

Taiwan to stage live-fire drills as fears of possible PLA attack grow
South China Morning Post, April 12, 2021

Access to Information (公众知情权)

China's Propaganda Against Foreign Media Increases 
Voice of America, April 9, 2021

China launches hotline to report ‘illegal’ comments about Communist party
Reuters, April 12, 2021

Related:
中共网信办开通热线举报“历史虚无”言论 严禁怀疑中共历史(In move to forbid questioning of CPC’s version of history, Cyberspace Administration of China launches hotline for netizens to report "historical nihilism" speech)
Voice of America, April 12, 2021

抗议中国制裁 特里尔大学孔子学院停课(In protest against Chinese sanctions of European scholars and think tanks, University of Trier suspends classes at its Confucius Institute)
Deutsche Welle, April 12, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Top Beijing official admits efficacy of China’s Covid vaccines is low
The Guardian, April 11, 2021

China Turning South China Sea Supply Ships into Mobile Surveillance Bases
Radio Free Asia, April 9, 2021

‘Forced confession’ victims urge Chinese TV channels ban
Agence France-Presse, April 12, 2021

Related:
强迫自白受害者联署 敦促欧洲禁播中国CGTN (In joint letter, forced confession victims urge Europe to ban broadcast of Chinese CGTN)
Deutsche Welle, April 12, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Record Alibaba Fine Shows China’s Big Tech Can’t Fight Back
Bloomberg, April 11, 2021

Related:
China Fines Alibaba $2.8 Billion in Landmark Antitrust Case
阿里巴巴遭182亿元重罚,这透露出什么信号?

The New York Times, April 12, 2021

Ant ordered to restructure by Chinese regulators
Financial Times, April 12, 2021

China's competition watchdog bulks up
Reuters, April 12, 2021

Chinese tech start-ups pull IPO plans as Beijing tightens scrutiny
Channel News Asia, April 12, 2021

Anti-fraud app from Chinese police sees soaring downloads amid complaints of forced installs
South China Morning Post, April 12, 2021

The anatomy of a Chinese online hate campaign
Protocol, April 9, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong elections: can blank votes be outlawed and will Beijing be embarrassed by low turnout?
South China Morning Post, April 12, 2021

前年區選逾6百名落選者 約2百人獲委任入各區委員會(200 candidates who lost in 2019 district council elections are appointed members of area committees; may join CE Election Committee)
Radio Television Hong Kong, April 12, 2021

Related:
人力反對宣誓 區議員溫子眾退黨:不能輕言放棄既有陣地 (People Power opposes loyalty oath; its district councilor Wan Chi-chung resigns from party)
inmediahk.net, April 12, 2021

民主派初選47人案|岑子杰高院申保釋被拒 (High Court again revokes bail application of Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, one of the 47 pro-democracy detainees )
Ming Pao, April 12, 2021

Hong Kong schools told to do more to promote national security awareness, with flag-raising ceremony among suggestions from city’s education minister
South China Morning Post, April 11, 2021

Hong Kong’s Legislative Council paid out HK$13.3 million in end-of-service gratuities to resigned opposition lawmakers
South China Morning Post, April 9, 2021

'Stand tall': Hong Kong media tycoon Lai writes letter from jail
Agence France-Presse, April 12, 2021

London making it easier for Hongkongers to apply for visas through BN(O) scheme
South China Morning Post, April 11, 2021

Ousted Hong Kong democrat Dennis Kwok surfaces in Canada
Hong Kong Free Press, April 10, 2021

Commentary (评论)

AI companies are enabling genocide in China
Washington Post, April 12, 2021

战狼外交之策略 专家:把民情转化为抵抗“外侮”的武器(Experts: Wolf warrior diplomacy strategy turns people’s sentiments into weapons of resistance against "foreign humiliation")
Voice of America, April 12, 2021

Friday, April 09, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

UN Chief Should Support Remote Investigation in Xinjiang
Human Rights Watch, April 8, 2021

国际社会呼吁中共立即释放维族企业家(International community calls on Chinese gov’t to immediately release Uyghur entrepreneur Ekpar Asat)
Voice of America, April 9, 2021

Tibet (西藏)

中共西藏当局颁布边境新禁令 防止外部渗透(Chinese authorities in Tibet issue new border rules to prevent external infiltration)
Voice of America, April 8, 2021

四川阿坝一藏族僧侣遭羁押一年半后 被以“分裂”罪名判刑(Tibetan monk in Aba, Sichuan, is convicted of “splittism” after 1.5 years in detention)
Radio Free Asia, April 9, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

US Bill to pressure China on trade and rights, back Taiwan
Agence France-Presse, April 9, 2021

Related:
Japan Toughens on China as Beijing Issues Threats
Foreign Policy, April 9, 2021

Philippines Welcomes US Backing to Help Defend Manila in South China Sea
Radio Free Asia, April 8, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

US sanctions Chinese computer makers in widening tech fight
Associated Press, April 9, 2021

美国制裁中国七家超级计算机实体 中方称美国恶意打压(U.S. sanctions 7 Chinese supercomputing entities; China alleges malicious crackdown)
British Broadcasting Corporation, April 9, 2021

Related:
Commerce Adds Seven Chinese Supercomputing Entities to Entity List for their Support to China’s Military Modernization, and Other Destabilizing Efforts
U.S. Department of Commerce, April 8, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Exclusive | Don’t undermine Hong Kong’s rule of law by politicising presence of foreign judges, ex-justice minister Elsie Leung cautions Western countries
South China Morning Post, April 9, 2021

Pro-democracy pair to quit Hong Kong district council seats over new allegiance oath
Hong Kong Free Press, April 9, 2021

Hong Kong judiciary reveals bail decision reasons in cases linked to city’s largest national security law crackdown
South China Morning Post, April 9, 2021

Related:
District Court does have jurisdiction to hear sedition cases, Hong Kong judge rules, despite questions raised by national security law
South China Morning Post, April 9, 2021

Hong Kong university student charged with inciting secession under the national security law
Hong Kong Free Press, April 9, 2021

Hong Kong defends plan to reduce corporate database transparency
Agence France-Presse, April 9, 2021

Andrew Wan charged over interference of Legco panel election
The Standard, April 9, 2021

【整治港台】鏗鏘集原有班底製作題材被叫停拍攝 僅一集內容獲「放生」(RTHK orders Hong Kong Connection production team to stop filming programs already in progress; only one episode is approved)
Stand News, April 9, 2021

香港民研:七成人指選舉改革是民主倒退 六成人反對資格審查(Hong Kong public opinion poll: 70% view electoral overhaul as democratic regression; 60% oppose candidate eligibility review)
Stand News, April 9, 2021

Related:
「我們香港人計劃」有關全國人大常委會修改後的香港選舉制度的調查發佈會暨第九次小型政策論壇
“We Hongkongers Survey” press conference cum our ninth mini-policy forum about HKSAR Electoral System by NPCSC
Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, April 9, 2021

曾國衞︰考慮是否將資審會審查延伸至區議會(Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang says the gov’t is considering extending candidate eligibility review to district council level)
Radio Television Hong Kong, April 8, 2021

Thursday, April 08, 2021

Xinjiang (新疆)

China’s Hard and Soft Lines on Xinjiang
The Diplomat, April 8, 2021

Related:
The challenge of blocking Chinese cotton to help the Uyghurs
Financial Times, April 8, 2021

‘I Never Thought China Could Ever Be This Dark’
The Atlantic, April 8, 2021

China Moves to Correct ‘Lies’ and ‘Misinformation’ In Australian Reporting on Uyghurs
Voice of America, April 8, 2021

Related:
‘We will respond in kind’: China’s ambassador warns Australia not to join Xinjiang sanctions
The Guardian, April 7, 2021

新疆人权:BBC专访中国制裁名单上的英国议会外交委员会主席图根哈特(Human Rights in Xinjiang: BBC Interviews with Tugendhat, British MP and Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, on China’s sanctions list)
British Broadcasting Corporation, April 8, 2021

Taiwan (台湾)

Taiwan says it will fight to the end if attacked as China sends more jets
The Guardian, April 7, 2021

Government Accountability (政府问责)

一组国际科学家呼吁对新冠病毒的源头展开新的调查(International scientists call for new probe into Covid-19 origins)
Voice of America, April 8, 2021

Related:
Scientists call for new probe into COVID-19 origins - with or without China
Reuters, April 7, 2021

中国官媒CGTN被英国吊销牌照后又在法国遭起诉(Chinese official media CGTN is sued in France after UK revokes its license)
Radio France Internationale, April 8, 2021

Access to Justice (司法公正)

安徽“猪头人身”漫画作者张冬宁再遭判囚(Comic strip artist Zhang Dongning is sentenced to one year in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble")
Radio Free Asia, April 8, 2021

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China’s Techno-Authoritarianism Has Gone Global
Foreign Affairs, April 8, 2021

疑似中国黑客为何能入侵微软:可能通过挖掘事先获得的个人信息(How did suspected Chinese hackers break into Microsoft: Possibly by mining personal information obtained in advance)
The Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2021

Related:
Suspected China Hack of Microsoft Shows Signs of Prior Reconnaissance
The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2021

Milk Tea Alliance: Twitter creates emoji for pro-democracy activists
BBC News, April 8, 2021

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong gov’t moves quickly to implement political changes ordered by Beijing
Hong Kong Free Press, April 8, 2021

Related:
Hong Kong electoral changes about driving city back to straight and narrow, says senior mainland Chinese official
South China Morning Post, April 8, 2021

National security law: Hong Kong defendant challenges jury exclusion for first trial under Beijing-imposed legislation
South China Morning Post, April 8, 2021

Related:
National security law: Hong Kong student accused of weapons possession charged with secession offence
South China Morning Post, April 8, 2021

UK announces HK$460 million package to help new arrivals from Hong Kong
Hong Kong Free Press, April 8, 2021

Related:
Beijing accuses Britain of ‘sheltering criminals’ by granting asylum to fugitive Hong Kong activist Nathan Law
South China Morning Post, April 8, 2021

百多名公務員未簽署效忠聲明 當局將要求相關人員解釋(Over 100 civil servants who declined to take oath will be called to explain)
Radio Television Hong Kong, April 8, 2021

黎銘澤宣布拒絕宣誓 將辭任區議員 無交代離港傳聞(Sai Kung district councilor Lai Ming Chak refuses to take oath, resigns; silent on rumor of him leaving Hong Kong)
Stand News, April 8, 2021

反修例事件2521人涉司法程序 614人被定罪(2521 under judicial proceedings involving Anti-ELAB incidents, 617 convicted)
Stand News, April 8, 2021

12港人案丨李子賢鄭子豪完成檢疫出庭 還押候訊(Hong Kong 12 Case: Li Tsz Yin and Cheng Tsz Ho finish quarantine, remanded in custody)
Stand News, April 8, 2021

Commentary (评论)

Here’s How to Handle the ‘Genocide Olympics’ in Beijing
北京冬奥会为我们带来应对习近平的筹码

The New York Times, April 8, 2021

Anti-China is not anti-Asian
Washington Post, April 6, 2021