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.

Friday, January 06, 2017

Access to Justice (司法公正)

唐志顺、幸清贤获释 幸清贤下落不明 (709 Crackdown: Tang Zhishun and Xing Qingxian reportedly released, Xing Qingxian's whereabouts still unknown)
Radio Free Asia, January 5, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ck-01052017100436.html

Chinese rights lawyer released on bail more than a year after crackdown
South China Morning Post, January 6, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059892/chinese-rights-lawyer-released-bail-over-year-after

Related:
维权律师谢燕益获得取保候审 (Rights lawyer Xie Yanyi released on bail pending further investigation)
Voice of America, January 6, 2017
http://www.voachinese.com/a/china-human-rights-lawyers-20170105/3665340.html

Detained Chinese rights lawyer “at risk of torture”: Amnesty International
Radio Free Asia, January 5, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/detained-chinese-rights-lawyer-at-risk-of-torture-amnesty-international-01052017101916.html

How nine Wukan villagers were illegally tried and sentenced in December, 2016
China Change, January 5, 2017
https://chinachange.org/2017/01/05/how-nine-wukan-villagers-were-illegally-tried-and-sentenced-in-december-2016/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Giving credit
China Law Translate, January 4, 2017
http://www.chinalawtranslate.com/giving-credit/?lang=en

Related:
国务院办公厅关于加强个人诚信体系建设的指导意见
Guiding Opinion on the Establishment of a Personal Creditworthiness System
General Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, December 23, 2016
CH: http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2016-12/30/content_5154830.htm
EN: http://www.chinalawtranslate.com/7079-2/?lang=en

Lecturer fired in China's Shandong after he criticized Chairman Mao
Radio Free Asia, January 5, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/mao-lecturer-01052017141728.html

A mass gathering organized on Chinese social media? No problem says government
Foreign Policy, January 5, 2017
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/01/05/a-mass-gathering-organized-on-chinese-social-media-no-problem-says-government-coal-town-forced-demolition-middle-class/

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Former Chinese drugs official jailed over graft
Taipei Times, January 5, 2017
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2017/01/05/2003662561

Xi Jinping is busy arranging a huge reshuffle
The Economist, January 5, 2017
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21713913-reading-runes-will-be-even-more-difficult-usual-xi-jinping-busy-arranging-huge

Party rules: China’s Communist Party goes for quality over quantity
Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2017
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2017/01/05/party-rules-chinas-communist-party-goes-for-quality-over-quantity/

China vows “zero tolerance” for election fraud in forthcoming party congress
Reuters, January 5, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-politics-idUSKBN14Q0A4

Tiananmen leader Wang Dan to move to U.S.; will continue fight for China’s democracy and human rights
Hong Kong Free Press, January 6, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/01/06/tiananmen-leader-wang-dan-move-us-will-continue-fight-chinas-democracy-human-rights/

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Apple removes New York Times apps from its store in China
苹果中国区商店下架《纽约时报》新闻应用
The New York Times, January 5, 2017
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20170105/new-york-times-apps-apple-china/dual/

National Cyberspace Security Strategy
China Copyright and Media, December 27, 2016
https://chinacopyrightandmedia.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/national-cyberspace-security-strategy/

China’s cybersecurity chiefs pledge total loyalty to leadership under Xi
South China Morning Post, January 5, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059692/chinas-cybersecurity-chiefs-pledge-total-loyalty-xi

Hong Kong (香港)

闖入公民廣場非法集結罪上訴 羅冠聰:理據於法庭交代 (Nathan Law appeals unlawful assembly charges)
Radio Television Hong Kong, January 5, 2017
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1305857-20170105.htm

香港九旬老人上街卫民主 (90-year-old Hong Konger defends democracy on street)
Radio Free Asia, January 4, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/wsw-01042017102121.html

Localist group Civic Passion to “withdraw from all social movements,” citing increased risks
Hong Kong Free Press, January 6, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/01/06/localist-group-to-withdraw-from-all-social-movements-citing-increased-risks/

Thursday, January 05, 2017

Access to Justice (司法公正)

公民要求公布雷洋案协议内容 联署质疑检警枉法 (In joint petition, citizens request authorities disclose contents of settlement in Lei Yang’s case, suspect that officers violated the law)
Voice of America, January 5, 2017
http://www.voachinese.com/a/news-china-leiyang-case-20170103/3661439.html

Related:
中国逾百所高校学生及民众为雷洋鸣不平 (Over 100 Chinese high school students and others launch online petition to express concern over Lei Yang case)
Radio Free Asia, December 26 , 2016
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql1-12262016103014.html

The death of a young man in police custody is rattling the trust of China’s middle class
Quartz, January 4, 2017
https://qz.com/876828/the-death-of-a-young-man-in-police-custody-is-rattling-the-trust-of-chinas-middle-class/

Shanghai court accepts detained rights lawyer’s defamation case against state-backed media
South China Morning Post, January 5, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059516/shanghai-court-accepts-detained-rights-lawyers

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, June 10, 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

Couple held in China are free, but “even now we live under a cloud”
加拿大“间谍”夫妇讲述在中国被关押经历
The New York Times, January 4, 2017
http://cn.nytimes.com/world/20170104/canadian-couple-china-detention/dual/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

NGOs are trying to stay alive in China’s latest crackdown against “foreign forces”
Quartz, January 5, 2017
https://qz.com/873489/ngos-are-trying-to-stay-alive-in-chinas-latest-crackdown-against-foreign-forces/

Related:
VOA连线:36名律师自发成立《境外NGO法》律师团 (36 Chinese lawyers to form legal services group to advise foreign organizations on Foreign NGO Law)
Voice of America, January 4, 2017
http://www.voachinese.com/a/3662623.html

中国退伍军人再度集体上访北京 (Chinese veterans petition Beijing once again)
Voice of America, January 5, 2017
http://www.voachinese.com/a/news-chinese-veteran-20170104/3662788.html

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Chinese city official shoots 2 others and kills himself, state media says
The New York Times, January 4, 2017
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/world/asia/china-sichuan-shooting.html

Related:
Minitrue: No unauthorized coverage of Sichuan shooting
China Digital Times, January 4, 2017
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2017/01/minitrue-no-unauthorized-coverage-sichuan-shooting/

China probes party official in restive Xinjiang days after attack
Reuters, January 4, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-corruption-idUSKBN14P0B5

Tianjin’s former mayor expelled from Communist Party
Caixin, January 4, 2017
http://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-01-04/101033390.html

China launches propaganda movie about the “iron” fight against corruption
Radio Free Asia, January 4, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-launches-propaganda-movie-about-the-iron-fight-against-corruption-01042017121802.html

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

Apple removes New York Times app in China
The Guardian, January 5, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/05/apple-removes-new-york-times-app-in-china

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

Uyghur government workers ordered not to identify on forms as Muslim
Radio Free Asia, January 4, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/identify-01042017162826.html

Hong Kong (香港)

Occupy leaders Nathan Law and Joshua Wong appeal against conviction for storming government HQ
South China Morning Post, January 5, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2059556/occupy-leaders-nathan-law-and-joshua-wong-appeal-against

Veteran Hong Kong journalists launch new, non-profit Chinese news site in defense of press freedom
Hong Kong Free Press, January 5, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/01/05/veteran-hong-kong-journalists-launch-new-non-profit-chinese-news-site-in-defence-of-press-freedom/

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Chinese activist “Super Vulgar Butcher” faces subversion trial
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059191/chinese-activist-super-vulgar-butcher-faces-subversion

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, June 10, 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

China: Limited victory for man in transgender dismissal case
British Broadcasting Corporation, January 3, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38497015

Problems remain in China’s death-penalty system even after reforms
Caixin, January 3, 2017
http://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-01-03101032821.html

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

新年伊始,在华外国NGO忐忑不安 (Uncertainty over new Chinese law rattles foreign nonprofits)
The New York Times, January 3, 2017
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20170103/china-foreign-ngo/dual/

Related:
Chinese lawyers to help foreign NGOs navigate controversial new law
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059040/chinese-lawyers-help-foreign-ngos-navigate

英媒:一个曾在中国蹲黑狱的外国人 (British media: a foreigner previously jailed in China)
British Broadcasting Corporation, January 3, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/press-review-38495547

Related:
Q & A with Peter Dahlin, the Swedish NGO worker who “endangered the national security” of China
China Change, January 3, 2017
https://chinachange.org/2017/01/03/q-a-with-peter-dahlin-the-swedish-ngo-worker-who-endangered-the-national-security-of-china/

What's your “public credit score”? The Shanghai government can tell you
National Public Radio, January 3, 2017
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/01/03/507983933/whats-your-public-credit-score-the-shanghai-government-can-tell-you

PLA veterans stage another protest in Beijing over unpaid benefits
South China Morning Post, January 4, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059225/pla-veterans-stage-another-protest-beijing-over-unpaid

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Ally of President Xi Jinping parachuted in to senior post in Hubei
South China Morning Post, January 3, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2059015/ally-president-xi-jinping-parachuted-senior-post-hubei

Chinese official sentenced 10 years in vaccine scandal
Agence France-Presse, January 4, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/01/04/chinese-official-sentenced-10-years-vaccine-scandal/

China's graft watchdog turns camera on itself in TV series
Reuters, January 3, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-corruption-television-idUSKBN14O0B0

The political price of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign
Financial Times, January 4, 2017
https://www.ft.com/content/3f1938d6-d1cf-11e6-b06b-680c49b4b4c0

Beijing police missed opportunity in handling of death in custody case, say academics
South China Morning Post, January 2, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2058557/beijing-police-missed-opportunity-handling-death

Tibetans beaten, detained for coming late to meeting
Radio Free Asia, January 3, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/meeting-01032017142450.html

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

China tightens Tibetan border security to combat “separatism”
Reuters, January 3, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-tibet-lawmaking-idUSKBN14N0L7

Hong Kong (香港)

驻港京官为香港增政治红线:不得挑战中央权威 (Zhang Xiaoming, Director of Central Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong raises political “bottom line”: one must not challenge authority of central government)
Radio France Internationale, January 2, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170102-驻港京官为香港增政治红线:不得挑战中央权威

Related:
Hong Kong told to uphold rule of law, fight separatism
China Daily, January 3, 2017
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2017-01/03/content_27846712.htm

中国军事管研所副所长建议让港人参军促进人心回归 (Senior military official Wang Xinjian: let Hong Kong people join People’s Liberation Army to foster identification with mainland)
Radio France Internationale, January 1, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170101-中国军事管研所副所长建议让港人参军促进人心回归

Related:
Let Hongkongers serve in China’s People’s Liberation Army, says top military official
South China Morning Post, January 3, 2017
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1729129/let-hongkongers-serve-chinas-peoples-liberation-army-says-top

香港民阵发起元旦游行提三大诉求 (Hong Kongers march for pro-democracy lawmakers: 3 demands)
Deutsche Welle, January 1, 2017
http://dw.com/p/2V7DU

Related:
Thousands in Hong Kong march for pro-democracy lawmakers
Associated Press, January 1, 2017
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/01/thousands-in-hong-kong-march-for-pro-democracy-lawmakers.html

Commentary (评论)

In 2016, a toxic political smog spread over China and Hong Kong
Global Voices, December 30, 2016
https://globalvoices.org/2016/12/30/in-2016-a-toxic-political-smog-spread-over-china-and-hong-kong/

The evolution and implication of China's Overseas NGO Law
NGOs in China, December 30, 2016
http://ngochina.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-evolution-and-implication-of-chinas.html

Related:
China’s new foreign NGO law: A conversation with Sophie Richardson
Center for Strategic & International Studies, January 4, 2017
https://soundcloud.com/csis-57169780/chinas-new-foreign-ngo-law-a-conversation-with-sophie-richardson

Cashing in on dystopia
SupChina, January 3, 2017
http://supchina.com/2017/01/03/cashing-in-on-dystopia/

Tuesday, January 03, 2017

Access to Justice (司法公正)

“We bear witness; We keep the faith”: A New Year’s message from the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group
China Change, January 2, 2017
https://chinachange.org/2017/01/02/we-bear-witness-we-keep-the-faith-a-new-years-message-from-the-chinese-human-rights-lawyers-group/

Related:
中国人权律师、劳工等各界发表新年献词 (Chinese human rights lawyers, labor groups publish New Year’s message)
Radio Free Asia, January 2, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf2-01022017112309.html

Chinese transgender man wins landmark wrongful dismissal case
The Guardian, January 3, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/03/transgender-man-in-china-wins-wrongful-dismissal-case

Father of detained China activist Jiang Tianyong attempts to sue state-run papers for defamation
Hong Kong Free Press, January 3, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/01/03/father-detained-china-activist-jiang-tianyong-attempts-sue-state-run-papers-defamation/

Related:
江天勇父亲申请政府信息公开 陈进学再起诉《法制日报》《检察日报》(Jiang Tianyong’s father applies for open government information disclosure, Chen Jinxue again sues Legal Daily and People’s Procuratorate Daily)
Radio Free Asia, January 2, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-01022017102129.html

A human rights activist, a secret prison and a tale from Xi Jinping's new China
The Guardian, January 3, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/03/human-rights-activist-peter-dahlin-secret-black-prison-xi-jinpings-new-china

Access to Information (信息公开)

The making of a good Party reporter
China Media Project, January 3, 2017
http://cmp.hku.hk/2017/01/03/40076/

Award-winning Chinese human rights journalist: “This is a calling, not a career choice”
Varsity, January 2, 2017
https://globalvoices.org/2017/01/02/award-winning-chinese-human-rights-journalist-this-is-a-calling-not-a-career-choice/

Chinese trolls jumped the firewall to attack Taiwan’s president and military on Facebook
Quartz, January 3, 2017
http://qz.com/876614/chinese-trolls-jumped-the-firewall-to-attack-taiwans-military-and-president-tsai-ing-wen-on-facebook/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

New Chinese law tightens control over NGOs
Al Jazeera, January 2, 2017
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/china-ngo-law-170101083414954.html

Related:
Officials, police descend on Beijing NGO as new law takes effect
Radio Free Asia, January 2, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/ngo-law-01022017203301.html

专访:北京要让本土非政府组织取代国外NGO (Interview: Beijing wants local non-governmental organizations to replace foreign ones)
Deutsche Welle, January 2, 2017
http://bit.ly/2hMVdSx

China announces details of social credit system plan, deemed “Orwellian” by critics
Hong Kong Free Press, January 3, 2017
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/01/03/test-zone-proposed-for-chinas-orwellian-social-credit-system/

Chinese military veterans gather in Beijing to protest “broken promises”
Radio Free Asia, January 2, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/veterans-protest-01022017200052.html