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, March 14, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Chinese attorneys, relatives demand public inquiry into lawyers' detentions
Radio Free Asia, March 11, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/chinese-attorneys-relatives-demand-public-inquiry-into-lawyers-detentions-03112016103705.html

Related:
Mass Crackdown on Chinese Lawyers and Defenders
中国大规模镇压维权律师和活跃人士
Human Rights in China, February 5, 2016
EN: http://www.hrichina.org/en/mass-crackdown-chinese-lawyers-and-defenders
CH: http://hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-da-gui-mo-zhen-ya-wei-quan-lu-shi-he-huo-yue-ren-shi

Access to Information (信息公开)

How one brave woman is taking on growing might of China’s censors
The Guardian, March 13, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/13/china-censorship-economy-editor

Edward Snowden, Pussy Riot and Ai Weiwei protest cyber censorship
The Guardian, March 11, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/11/edward-snowden-pussy-riot-ai-weiwei-protest-cyber-censorship

【新華社錯失】劉銳紹指這類錯誤少有 亦須注意近期不滿習近平輿論 ([Xinhua News blunder] News commentator Lau Yui-siu says such mistake is rare, attention should be paid to recent public opinions unfavorable of Xi Jinping)
Ming Pao, March 14, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160314/s00001/1457931451582

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Miners’ protest: ailing Chinese coal firm Heilongjiang Longmay told to pay workers
South China Morning Post, March 14, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1924126/miners-protest-ailing-chinese-coal-firm-heilongjiang

China wrestles with draft law on nongovernmental organizations
在华境外NGO命运或迎转机?
The New York Times, March 12, 2016
EN: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/12/world/asia/china-ngo-law.html
CH: http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20160314/c14chinango/

Related:
HRIC Law Note: Draft Law on Foreign NGOs Undermines Chinese Civil Society and China’s International Engagement
中国人权法律评论:境外非政府组织管理法草案损害了中国的民间社会和中国政府的国际参与
Human Rights in China, September 17, 2015
EN: http://www.hrichina.org/en/legal-resources/hric-law-note-draft-law-foreign-ngos-undermines-chinese-civil-society-and-chinas
CH: http://www.hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-ren-quan-fa-lu-ping-lun-jing-wai-fei-zheng-fu-zu-zhi-guan-li-fa-cao-sun-hai-liao-zhong-guo

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China ramps up offensive against U.S. on human rights record, accusing it of racism and fueling terrorism
South China Morning Post, March 14, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1924579/china-ramps-offensive-against-us-human-rights-record

Beijing defends itself on human rights “with Chinese characteristics”
Agence France-Presse, March 11, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/11/beijing-defends-itself-on-human-rights-with-chinese-characteristics/

Beijing’s graft-buster looks to Hong Kong for help with fugitive asset hunt
South China Morning Post, March 11, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1923527/beijings-graft-buster-looks-hong-kong-help-fugitive

China must further purge energy sector of Zhou scandal “poison,” former top official says
Reuters, March 11, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-parliament-corruption-idUSKCN0WD137

Hong Kong (香港)

穆迪降香港展望至负面 称中国影响削港优势 (Moody’s downgrades Hong Kong outlook to “negative,” claiming that influence from China reduces Hong Kong’s competitive advantage)
Radio France Internationale, March 12, 2016
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20160312-穆迪降香港展望至负面-称中国影响削港优势

香港团体游行至中联办示威 促中国释放被捕维权人士 (Hong Kong organizations march to Liaison Office in protest, urging China to release arrested rights defenders)
Radio Free Asia, March 13, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/xl2-03132016112551.html

學苑出版《香港青年時代的宣言》 文章倡香港成獨立主權國家 (HKU student association magazine “Undergrad” publishes article “The Declaration of Hong Kong’s Youth Generation” that suggests Hong Kong’s becoming an independent sovereign state)
Ming Pao, March 14, 2016
http://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20160314/s00001/1457930980492

National Security & Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

China terror convictions nearly doubled in 2015
Hong Kong Free Press, March 14, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/14/china-terror-convictions-nearly-doubled-in-2015/

Development key to stabilizing Xinjiang, says Li Keqiang
Irish Times, March 11, 2016
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/development-key-to-stabilising-xinjiang-says-li-keqiang-1.2569719

Opinion and Editorial (观点和社论)

No one believes the booksellers’ stories, but China has achieved its cloak-and-dagger aims
Hong Kong Free Press, March 13, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/13/no-one-believes-the-booksellers-stories-but-china-has-achieved-its-cloak-and-dagger-aims/

Writing China: David Shambaugh, “China’s future”
The Wall Street Journal, March 14, 2016
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/03/14/writing-china-david-shambaugh-chinas-future/

Friday, March 11, 2016

Access to Justice (司法公正)

14部新法将于今年制定 (14 new laws to be drafted in 2016)
Legal Daily, March 10, 2016
http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20160310/Articel01004GN.htm

行政强制措施存在滥用代罚问题, 杨克勤代表建议立法授权检察机关进行监督 (Administrative coercive measures being misused as punishment, NPC delegate Yang Keqin suggests authorizing procuratorial supervision by law)
Legal Daily, March 11, 2016
http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20160310/Articel02005GN.htm

山东:法援之光照向更多特困群体 (Shandong: Shining the light of legal aid on even more especially impoverished groups)
Legal Daily, March 10, 2016
http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20160310/Articel02009GN.htm

Related:
北京:困难群体法援绿色通道通畅 (Beijing: legal aid fast lane for disadvantaged groups flows smoothly)
Legal Daily, March 10, 2016
http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20160310/Articel02008GN.htm

Chinese crackdown on lawyers and activists is criticized at U.N.
The New York Times, March 11, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/world/asia/un-panel-condemns-chinese-crackdown-on-lawyers-and-activists.html

Related:
Item 2: Joint Statement—Human Rights Situation in China
Mission of the U.S. to the U.N. in Geneva, March 10, 2016
https://geneva.usmission.gov/2016/03/10/item-2-joint-statement-human-rights-situation-in-china/

China accuses U.S. of rape and murder after criticism of human rights record
The Guardian, March 10, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/10/china-attacks-us-hypocrisy-un-human-rights-council

Access to Information (信息公开)

信息公开诉讼无须举报前置 (Filing complaint not a prerequisite for Open Government Information lawsuits)
Jinan Times, March 10, 2016
http://news.163.com/16/0310/14/BHQ75F2H00014Q4P.html

“Only democracy can cure corruption”: Chinese magazine publishes Party member’s speech amid censorship battle
Hong Kong Free Press, March 11, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/11/only-democracy-can-cure-corruption-chinese-magazine-publishes-party-members-speech-amid-censorship-battle/

Hong Kong’s SCMP is being blocked in China for cheering on Xi Jinping
Quartz, March 10, 2016
http://qz.com/635915/hong-kongs-scmp-is-being-blocked-in-china-for-cheering-on-xi-jinping/

How a New York art show about Chinese online censorship found itself censored
The Washington Post, March 11, 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/03/11/how-a-new-york-art-show-about-chinese-online-censorship-found-itself-censored/

Chinese official: No Western values in the classroom…Except for Marxism
The Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2016
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/03/10/chinese-official-no-western-values-in-the-classroom-except-for-marxism/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

石家庄中院发布妇女维权典型案例 (Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court issues typical women's rights cases)
Legal Daily, March 10, 2016
http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20160310/Articel03006GN.htm

China set to introduce charity law though some unlikely to benefit
Reuters, March 10, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-parliament-charities-idUSKCN0WC0UB

Related:
HRIC Law Note: Draft Law on Foreign NGOs Undermines Chinese Civil Society and China’s International Engagement
中国人权法律评论:境外非政府组织管理法草案损害了中国的民间社会和中国政府的国际参与
Human Rights in China, May 5, 2015
EN: http://www.hrichina.org/en/legal-resources/hric-law-note-draft-law-foreign-ngos-undermines-chinese-civil-society-and-chinas
CH: http://www.hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-ren-quan-fa-lu-ping-lun-jing-wai-fei-zheng-fu-zu-zhi-guan-li-fa-cao-sun-hai-liao-zhong-guo

144 self-immolations in Tibet in under a decade, say activist groups ahead of 1959 uprising anniversary
Hong Kong Free Press, March 10, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/10/144-self-immolations-tibet-decade-say-activist-groups-ahead-1959-uprising-anniversary/

China’s “two meetings” hear voices of dissent
The Financial Times, March 11, 2016
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/22d4a6ac-e68d-11e5-ac45-5c039e797d1c.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

China wants boycott of Dalai Lama talk on Tibetan uprising date
Christian Science Monitor, March 10, 2016
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2016/0310/China-wants-boycott-of-Dalai-Lama-talk-on-Tibetan-uprising-date

张德江作全国人民代表大会常务委员会工作报告(全文) (Zhang Dejiang's “Work Report on the Work of the NPC Standing Committee (Full Text)”)
Caijing, March 10, 2016
http://politics.caijing.com.cn/20160310/4085381.shtml

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

检察机关严惩网络犯罪, 去年批捕涉嫌网络犯罪334人起诉329人 (China’s Procuratorial organs severely punish Internet crimes: 334 suspects approved for arrest and 329 prosecuted last year)
Legal Daily, March 10, 2016
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2016-03/10/content_6519680.htm

“Nailing jell-o to the wall": How China shut down the open Internet
Fast Company, March 9, 2016
http://www.fastcompany.com/3057604/nailing-jell-o-to-the-wall-how-china-shut-down-the-open-internet

Beijing puts another brick in the “Great Firewall”
Radio Free Asia, March 10, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/beijing-puts-another-brick-in-the-great-firewall-03102016115833.html

WeChat: Frenemy of Chinese activists?
The Diplomat, March 10, 2016
http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/wechat-frenemy-of-chinese-activists/

Hong Kong (香港)

【高鐵撥款】陳鑑林粗暴剪布 財委會通過196億超支撥款 ([XRL financing] Chan Kam-lam crudely cuts filibustering, Finance Committee approves $2.5 billion for XRL over-expenditure)
Apple Daily, March 11, 2016
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20160311/54806247?top=4h

Related:
Chaotic scenes at LegCo as additional funds for Express Rail Link approved in sudden vote
Hong Kong Free Press, March 11, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/11/breaking-chaotic-scenes-at-legco-as-additional-funds-for-express-rail-link-approved-in-sudden-vote/

【高鐵撥款】警方進立會抬走示威者 聲援市民設帳篷聚集 ([XRL financing] Police enters LegCo to remove protesters, citizens coming in support gather outside LegCo with tents)
Apple Daily, March 11, 2016
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/news/20160311/54856601?top=4h

Lee Po signed over running of Causeway Books to mystery man before going missing with other Hong Kong booksellers
South China Morning Post, March 10, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1922964/lee-po-signed-over-running-causeway-books-mystery-man-going

Two “missing” Hong Kong booksellers freed
British Broadcasting Corporation, March 11, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/news/35781134

Controversial books on mainland China still being published in Hong Kong
South China Morning Post, March 11, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1923512/controversial-books-mainland-china-still-being-published

香港本土势力抬头 撑台独率创21年新高 (Localism rises in Hong Kong, support for Taiwan’s independence marks 21 years' new high)
Radio Free Asia, March 10, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/xl3-03102016101402.html

聯署聲明:立即開放網媒及公民記者採訪權 (Joint statement: Right to newsgathering should be immediately granted to internet media and civic journalists)
InMedia HK, March 11, 2016
http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1041170

民權觀察譴責李少光於「兩會」建議香港退出聯合國《禁止酷刑公約》 (Civil Rights Observer denounces former Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee’s proposal at the “two congresses” of Hong Kong’s withdrawal from U.N. Convention Against Torture)
InMedia HK, March 11, 2016
http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1041189

National Security & Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

China premier urges more efforts in restive Uighur heartland
Reuters, March 10, 2016
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-parliament-xinjiang-idUSKCN0WD0B2

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Access to Information (信息公开)

China blocks VPN services that let users get round its “Great Firewall’ during big political gatherings in Beijing
South China Morning Post, March 9, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1922677/china-blocks-vpn-services-let-users-get-round-its-great

What Chinese media mustn’t cover at the “2 Sessions”
两会期间哪些新闻不能报道
The New York Times, March 10, 2016
EN: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/world/asia/china-news-censorship-two-sessions.html
CH: http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20160310/c10chinalist/

Caixin “won't comment” on deletion of anti-censorship article
Radio Free Asia, March 9, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/caixin-wont-comment-on-deletion-of-anti-censorship-article-03092016113543.html

Without a trace: South China Morning Post’s Chinese social media accounts eliminated
Hong Kong Free Press, March 9, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/09/without-a-trace-south-china-morning-posts-chinese-social-media-accounts-eliminated/

Charted: China’s Great Famine, according to Yang Jisheng, a journalist who lived through it
Quartz, March 10, 2016
http://qz.com/633457/charted-chinas-great-famine-according-to-yang-jisheng-a-journalist-who-lived-through-it/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Rights groups warn KFC over Tibet opening
Hong Kong Free Press, March 9, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/09/rights-groups-warn-kfc-over-tibet-opening/

China detains dozens of ethnic Mongolians amid ongoing grassland protest
Radio Free Asia, March 9, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/grassland-03092016133557.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Proposal to expand role of China’s armed police force would strengthen Xi Jinping’s power: analysts
South China Morning Post, March 9, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1922766/proposal-expand-role-chinas-armed-police-force-would

Mind your behavior! Xi tells wealthy businessmen to “set a good example” amid criticism of China’s nouveau riche
South China Morning Post, March 10, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1922764/mind-your-behaviour-xi-tells-wealthy-businessmen-set

China’s harsh child discipline, through the lens of domestic violence
The New York Times, March 9, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/world/asia/china-corporal-punishment-education-discipline.html

The Communist Party invented Women’s Day—so why is China so bad at it now?
Quartz, March 9, 2016
http://qz.com/634671/the-communist-party-invented-womens-day-so-why-is-china-so-bad-at-it-now/

陈满蒙冤服刑23年, 拟申请国家赔偿966万 (Wrongly sentenced to 23 years, Chen Man applies for RMB 9.6m in state compensation)
The Paper, March 9 , 2016
http://news.ifeng.com/a/20160309/47760705_0.shtml

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China is building a big data platform for “precrime”
Ars Technica, March 9, 2016
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/03/china-is-building-a-big-data-plaform-for-precrime/

Related:
China tries its hand at pre-crime
Bloomberg Businessweek, March 9, 2016
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-03/china-tries-its-hand-at-pre-crime

Hong Kong (香港)

Booksellers slipped back to mainland China after requesting Hong Kong police drop missing persons cases
South China Morning Post, March 9, 2016
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1922757/quick-turnabout-two-booksellers-hurried-back-across-border

“Riotous” protesters who stormed LegCo deserve jail time, says High Court judge
Hong Kong Free Press, March 9, 2016
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/09/riotous-protesters-who-stormed-legco-deserve-jail-time-says-high-court-judge/

高铁争议未结 香港机场新跑道又被指违反“一国两制” (Dispute over Express Rail Link yet to settle, proposal of a new runway in Hong Kong airport accused again for breaching “One Country Two Systems”)
Radio Free Asia, March 9, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/xl3-03092016101230.html

National Security & Counterterrorism (国家安全和反恐)

China says takes “distinctly Chinese approach” to national security
Reuters, March
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-parliament-security-idUSKCN0WB0PS

Related:
张德江:中国国家安全法以中国特色为基础 (Zhang Dejiang: China’s national security law is based upon Chinese characteristics)
Radio Free Asia, March 9, 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/nu-03092016101831.html

China charity law to forbid activity that “endangers national security”
Channel NewsAsia, March 9, 2016
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-charity-law-to-forb/2586830.html

Related:
HRIC Law Note: Draft Law on Foreign NGOs Undermines Chinese Civil Society and China’s International Engagement
中国人权法律评论:境外非政府组织管理法草案损害了中国的民间社会和中国政府的国际参与
Human Rights in China, September 17, 2015
EN: http://www.hrichina.org/en/legal-resources/hric-law-note-draft-law-foreign-ngos-undermines-chinese-civil-society-and-chinas
CH: http://www.hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-ren-quan-fa-lu-ping-lun-jing-wai-fei-zheng-fu-zu-zhi-guan-li-fa-cao-sun-hai-liao-zhong-guo

张德江:五种恐怖相关活动列入刑事追责范围 (Zhang Dejiang: Five kinds of terrorist-related activities that are included in the scope of criminal responsibility)
CCTV, March 9, 2016
http://news.163.com/16/0309/15/BHNNRNA50001124J.html