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.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Tibetan writer handed three-year prison term for “inciting separatism”
Radio Free Asia, February 20, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/inciting-02202018150053.html

Related:
青海同仁县歌手夏吾扎西刑满获释 (Tibetan singer in Qinghai released after 5 years in prison for spreading news about self-immolations)
Radio Free Asia, February 20, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/dz-02202018102448.html

Xinjiang university president purged under “two-faced” officials campaign
Radio Free Asia, February 20, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/university-president-02202018173959.html

Related:
Battleground Malaysia: China extends crackdown on Uyghurs across borders
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2133964/battleground-malaysia-china-extends-crackdown-uygurs-across

Access to Information (信息公开)

Chinese supermodel Liu Wen slammed on Instagram for referring to “Lunar New Year”
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2133954/chinese-supermodel-liu-wen-slammed-instagram-referring-lunar-new

Chinese state media launch “hold your mother’s hand” campaign with Xi Jinping at forefront
What’s On Weibo, February 20, 2018
https://www.whatsonweibo.com/chinese-state-media-launch-hold-mothers-hand-campaign-xi-jinping-forefont/

Chinese man detained for 10 days after calling top Chinese nuclear submarine scientist “unfilial”
Hong Kong Free Press, February 20, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/20/chinese-man-detained-10-days-calling-top-chinese-nuclear-submarine-scientist-unfilial/

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

人权活动人士日内瓦发言,呼吁关注王全璋、桂民海 (Human rights activists call for release of rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang and bookseller Gui Minhai at Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy)
Voice of America, February 21, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/human-rights-20180220/4263493.html

Academics protest China’s censorship requests
The Scientist, February 20, 2018
https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/51854/title/Academics-Protest-China-s-Censorship-Requests/#.Woyc3ejsvtk.twitter

Government Accountability (政府问责)

深圳国际教会聚会点被以“消防不合格”查封 (Church shut down in Shenzhen for failing fire safety inspection)
Radio Free Asia, February 20, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/ql3-02202018110518.html

Related:
意大利媒體:教宗已同意中梵協議 最快下月簽署 (The Pope reportedly agrees to ink agreement with China as soon as next month)
Corriere della Sera, February 19, 2018
http://bit.ly/2GxkDgu

网络时代的小镇:欲望、赌博和“贷款鲨鱼” (Small town in the Internet era: lust, gambling, and loan sharks)
The Initium, February 19, 2018
https://theinitium.com/article/20180219-mainland-gamble-loanshark/

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

中国“大数据”四问:官商民集体狂欢的背后,“数据利维坦”正在降临? (Mainland big data frenzy under microscope: Is the “data Leviathan” coming?)
The Initium, February 21, 2018
https://theinitium.com/article/20180221-mainland-big-data/

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

Chinese warships enter East Indian Ocean amid Maldives crisis, indebted Pacific nations alarmed
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, February 21, 2018
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-21/chinese-warships-enter-east-indian-ocean-amid-maldives-tensions/9469836

China undermining us “with sticks and carrots”: Outgoing German minister
The Sydney Morning Herald, February 19, 2018
http://www.smh.com.au/world/china-undermining-us-with-sticks-and-carrots-outgoing-german-minister-20180218-p4z0s6.html

Hong Kong (香港)

指有愛國愛港人士「睇唔過眼」田北辰稱兩會提案促解釋軟禁劉霞 (Lawmaker Michael Tien pledges to call for Liu Xia’s release during upcoming NPC and CPPCC sessions)
Apple Daily, February 21, 2018
https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/daily/article/20180221/20310536

Oxfam Hong Kong loses 715 donors – worth HK$1 million annually – following Haiti scandal at UK affiliate
Hong Kong Free Press, February 21, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/21/oxfam-hong-kong-loses-715-donors-worth-hk1-million-annually-following-haiti-scandal-uk-affiliate/

Gov’t finds “no breach of tenancy terms” at legislative by-election candidate Paul Zimmerman’s Sai Kung home
Hong Kong Free Press, February 21, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/21/govt-finds-no-breach-tenancy-terms-legislative-election-candidate-paul-zimmermans-sai-kung-home/

Commentary (评论)

Enough forced confessions, China – free bookseller Gui Minhai now!
PEN International, February 21, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/21/enough-forced-confessions-china-free-bookseller-gui-minhai-now/

串謀違憲 (Martin Lee: SAR government conspires with “ruler of Hong Kong” and politically screens candidates)
Apple Daily, February 21, 2018
https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/daily/article/20180221/20310669

Blackface skit on TV gala a sign that rising China needs to combat racial and ethnic stereotyping
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133905/blackface-skit-tv-gala-sign-rising-china-needs-combat-racial

Hong Kong police force must take criticism on the chin and get on with the job
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133987/hong-kong-police-force-must-take-criticism-chin-and-get-job

蔡寶琼:語言、文化與身分——普通話考試風波的宏觀脈絡 (Language, culture, and identity amid Mandarin test saga)
Mingpao, February 20, 2018
https://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20180220/s00012/1519063087658

Related:
香港的大学生不喜欢普通话吗? (Do university students in Hong Kong dislike Putonghua?)
CNPolitics, February 12, 2018
http://cnpolitics.org/2018/02/does-the-students-in-hongkong-dislike-mandarin/

Waking up to China’s infiltration of American colleges
The Washington Post, February 19, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/waking-up-to-chinas-infiltration-of-american-colleges/2018/02/18/99d3bee8-13f7-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Activist in China's Guangdong confined in psychiatric hospital with “no sign of illness”
广州维权人士张起“被精神病”
Radio Free Asia, February 19, 2018
EN: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/confined-02192018124530.html
CH: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-02162018101952.html

余文生被刑拘一个月 住所六次遭搜查 (Yu Wensheng’s residence searched 6 times since start of his month-long criminal detention)
Radio Free Asia, February 20, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql2-02192018093311.html

重庆维权人士集会抗议被精神病
Protesting evictees in China’s Chongqing locked up in psychiatric facilities
Radio Free Asia, February 20, 2018
CH: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/ql2-02202018103021.html
EN: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/evictees-02202018104700.html

Anti-pollution activist held over Chinese New Year in China’s Jiangsu
Radio Free Asia, February 16, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/activist-02162018124040.html

Access to Information (信息公开)

How China’s multi-pronged crackdown on dissent took aim at citizen journalists and rights defence websites
Financial Times, February 16, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/16/chinas-multi-pronged-crackdown-dissent-took-aim-citizen-journalists-rights-defence-websites/

”Gotta find a way”: Chinese rap in crisis after Communist Party crackdown
Agence France-Presse, February 17, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/17/gotta-find-way-chinese-rap-crisis-communist-party-crackdown/

Government Accountability (政府问责)

刘晓波遗孀刘霞孤独过年出国治疗毫无音信 (Liu Xiaobo’s widow, Liu Xia, spends New Year alone, no news on oversea medical treatment)
Voice of America, February 18, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/liu-xia-detention-20180218/4259584.html

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

3秒之内识别网上在逃人员:昆明一线民警配备高科技智能眼镜 (Police in Kunming City equipped with smart glasses can identify fugitives within 3 seconds)
The Paper, Feb 15, 2018
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2000687

我国网络直播用户规模达4.22亿 行业监管力度不断提升 (As number of China’s Internet livestreaming users reaches 422 million, regulatory bodies steadily increase supervision)
Xinhua, Feb 20, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2018-02/20/c_1122431272.htm

台湾华硕不愿屈服低头将云端服务撤出大陆 (Asus Taiwan refuses to compromise, withdraws cloud services from mainland China)
Radio France Internationale, February 18, 2018
http://cn.rfi.fr/港澳台/20180218-台湾华硕不愿屈服低头将云端服务撤出大陆

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

China’s Hui Muslims fear education ban signals wider religious crackdown
Reuters, February 17, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2133641/chinas-hui-muslims-fear-education-ban-signals-wider

Xinjiang “separatists” and Tibet’s “Dalai cliques” – targets in China’s latest organised crime crackdown
South China Morning Post, February 20, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2133824/xinjiang-separatists-and-tibets-dalai-cliques-targets

Hong Kong (香港)

香港众志年宵产品遭政治审查 (Hong Kong government subjects Demosisto's Lunar New Year Fair merchandise to political screening)
Radio Free Asia, February 15, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/cp-02152018114938.html

Commentary (评论)

Democracy in Hong Kong would do wonders for China’s global reputation
South China Morning Post, February 17, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133468/democracy-hong-kong-would-do-wonders-chinas-global

The problem with China’s latest anti-Mafia crackdown
Hong Kong Free Press, February 17, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/17/problem-chinas-latest-anti-mafia-crackdown/

春节、春晚和愚人 (Spring Festival, CCTV New Year's Gala, and fools)
The Financial Times, February 18, 2018
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001076382?full=y

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Access to Justice (司法公正)

警方要求构陷隋牧青 杨霆剑拒绝遭殴 (Activist Yang Tingjian beaten by police after refusing to frame rights lawyer Sui Muqing)
Radio Free Asia, February 14, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf2-02142018100943.html

Related:
律师联署 吁尊重保障律师执业权利 (Lawyers in China join signature campaign urging protection of their rights to practice)
Radio Free Asia, February 14, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-02142018102735.html

Access to Information (信息公开)

Ai Weiwei: The artwork that made me the most dangerous person in China
The Guardian, February 15, 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/feb/15/ai-weiwei-remembering-sichuan-earthquake

China’s online quiz shows must not promote greed, extravagance, media regulator says
Reuters, February 15, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2133495/chinas-online-quiz-shows-must-not-promote-greed

Chinese government gave money to Georgetown Chinese student group
Foreign Policy, February 14, 2018
http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/14/exclusive-chinese-government-gave-money-to-georgetown-chinese-student-group-washington-china-communist-party-influence/

Government Accountability (政府问责)

北京卫计委:北京血液供应可满足临床需求 将配合公安打击“血头血霸” (Beijing health authority bans people from donating blood to family members, pledges to work with police to crack down on underground blood dealers)
The Beijing News, February 15, 2018
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2018/02/15/476469.html

Chinese migrant workers call on Xi Jinping to see them get wages and holidays back
Voice of America, February 15, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/chinese-migrant-workers-at-beijing-railway-station/4255521.html

Related:
“Come back to scold me, Mum”: China’s “Ice Boy” Wang Fuman’s Lunar New Year wish
South China Morning Post, February 15, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2133315/come-back-scold-me-mum-chinas-ice-boy-wang-fumans-lunar-new-year

For China’s Catholics, state-controlled Church is “like a tree with no roots”
The Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2018
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-catholic-parishes-rattled-by-prospect-of-more-control-from-beijing-1518652580

Related:
On Ash Wednesday, China Catholics mull Vatican-Beijing ties
Agence France-Presse, February 15, 2018
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/02/15/ash-wednesday-china-catholics-mull-vatican-beijing-ties/

習近平:推動「中國號」巨輪駛入新水域 (Xi Jinping claims to drive giant ship of “China” into uncharted waters)
Mingpao, February 14, 2018
https://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20180214/s00004/1518611498429

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

China’s AI agenda advances
The Diplomat, February 14, 2018
https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/chinas-ai-agenda-advances/

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

China has built seven new military bases in South China Sea, US navy commander says
Kyodo, February 15, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2133483/china-has-built-seven-new-military-bases-south-china

A beam, a bomb and a burning question: could China be rebooting a nuclear doomsday device?
South China Morning Post, February 14, 2018
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2133385/beam-bomb-and-burning-question-could-china-be-rebooting-nuclear