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, April 25, 2019

June Fourth 30th Anniversary (“六四”三十周年)

【六四三十】中學教師花十年寫「六四」書 真名出版不怕成「逃犯」(Hong Kong teacher to publish book on June Fourth under real name, has no fear of repercussion)
Inmediahk.net, April 25, 2019

八九学运人士张健传出因病去世 (1989 student movement activist Zhang Jian dies from sudden illness)
Deutsche Welle, April 24, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

China places dissidents, petitioners under surveillance ahead of forum
Radio Free Asia, April 24, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

Widow of Mao Zedong’s secretary Li Rui sues in Chinese court to demand return of diaries from Stanford University
South China Morning Post, April 25, 2019

无法向微信好友发淘宝、抖音链接,腾讯被提反垄断诉讼 (Lawyer sues Tencent for infringement of freedom of communication, antitrust violations because he could not send Taobao and Douyin links within WeChat)
The Paper, April 24, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Microsoft employees add support to Chinese tech workers protesting “grueling” overtime culture
CNBC, April 23, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

The Communist Youth League announces plans to send a new generation “down to the countryside”
Jamestown Foundation, April 24, 2019

Is this the end of Belt and Road, or just the beginning?
ChinaFile, April 24, 2019

Related:
China’s Belt and Road cracks down on corruption in image revamp
Bloomberg, April 23, 2019

China’s maritime ambitions are becoming more evident
The Economist, April 23, 2019

Related:
Xi proposes building maritime community with shared future
Xinhua, April 23, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

The Chinese state-owned tech company helping to keep the heart of Western capitalism beating
South China Morning Post, April 25, 2019

Made in China, exported to the world: The surveillance state
The New York Times, April 24, 2019

时事大家谈:解析华为所有权:它究竟是私企还是国企?(Experts discuss Huawei’s ownership: A truly private company, or effectively a state-owned enterprise?)
Voice of America, April 24, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

19 reactions to the Umbrella Movement sentences: Democrats, foreign gov’ts and int’l NGOs decry jailings
Hong Kong Free Press, April 24, 2019

Related:
【佔中九子案】千人要求釋放政治犯 朱耀明重申爭取民主無罪 (A thousand attend candle-light vigil outside Lai Chi Kok detention center, demanding release of political prisoners)
Inmediahk.net, April 24, 2019

【佔中九子案】邵家臻入獄梁繼昌稱心情沉重 專業議政將助臻辦續運作 (LegCo “Professionals Guild” to assist Bottle Siu’s office in continuing work for remainder of term)
Inmediahk.net, April 24, 2019

佔中案記者手記:囚車載著他們離開那一刻 (Umbrella 9 case reporter’s note: The moment they were taken away)
The Initium, April 24, 2019

Alibaba boss Jack Ma urges Hong Kong to digitise governance in smart city push, saying data is like “golden sand”
South China Morning Post, April 24, 2019

Commentary (评论)

The Guardian view on Huawei: If May wants to trust, we must keep verifying
The Guardian, April 24, 2019

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

June Fourth 30th Anniversary (“六四”三十周年)

30 years ago: Violent protests reported in China
China Digital Times, April 24, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

China using US-made satellites to boost its police and military power and quash protests in Tibet and Xinjiang, report says
Agence France-Presse, April 24, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

內地記者高瑜完成服刑 指自己從沒認罪 (Mainland journalist Gao Yu finishes prison term: “I never confessed”)
Radio Television Hong Kong, April 24, 2019

Related:
敢言媒体人高瑜刑满释放 被带离北京避一带一路峰会 ("Vocal" journalist immediately taken on “vacation” upon release from prison as Beijing amps up “peacekeeping” for BRI summit)
Voice of America, April 23, 2019

“保障无罪的人不受刑事追究”正式写入检察官法 (“Protect the innocent from criminal liability” now officially written in amended Procurators Law)
The Paper, April 23, 2019

《中华人民共和国法官法》修订通过,10月1日起施行 (Amendment to Judges Law of the People's Republic of China passed, effective October 1)
The Paper, April 23, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

全国“扫黄打非”办:国内最大涉黄直播平台之一“爱美人”被摧毁 平台运营团伙的7人被判刑 (Streaming platform "Aimeiren" closed down for spreading vulgar content, operators sentenced to imprisonment of 1 year or more)
Legal Daily, April 23, 2019

全国“扫黄打非”办:一定程度上软色情比真色情更可怕 (Office for “eradicating pornography and illegal publications” to expand work against “soft pornography” after Durex commercial, says vulgar ads “promote sexual hints” and are “discriminatory against women”)
Legal Daily, April 23, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Overseas tech workers warn of “race to bottom” in China overtime row
Radio Free Asia, April 23, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

教堂被拆 庆祝活动受阻:不平安的复活节 (Turbulent Easter as church demolished and Christians warned against celebratory activities)
Radio Free Asia, April 23, 2019

最後一個月:台灣同婚將上路,跨國伴侶「一國三制」未解 (The last mile to same-sex marriage in Taiwan, yet “one country, three systems” obstacle for cross-strait couples remains unsolved)
The Initium, April 24, 2019

US accuses engineer Xiaoqing Zheng and businessman Zhang Zhaoxi of stealing secrets, spying on General Electric to aid China
South China Morning Post, April 24, 2019

Related:
被指受中国资助 美籍华裔工程师被控经济间谍 (Chinese American engineer charged with economic espionage and stealing trade secrets, with financial support and other aid from Chinese government)
Voice of America, April 24, 2019

China to recalibrate Belt and Road, defend scheme against criticism
Reuters, April 24, 2019

China’s Xi urges closer naval ties amid regional tensions
Associated Press, April 23, 2019

China: “Belt and Road” projects should respect rights
Human Rights Watch, April 21, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

May to ban Huawei from providing "core" parts of UK 5G network
The Guardian, April 24, 2019

China Unicom to launch 5G trial network in major cities
Sina English, April 24, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong’s leading Umbrella Movement activists handed jail sentences
Hong Kong Free Press, April 24, 2019

Related:
Hong Kong Occupy leaders jailed over 2014 protests
Financial Times, April 24, 2019

邵家臻判刑 8 個月 梁君彥:謹慎處理任何禠奪議員資格議案 (“Will carefully handle any motion to disqualify legislators”, says LegCo chairman as lawmaker Bottle Siu receives 8-month prison sentence)
The Stand News, April 24, 2019

【九子判刑】陳淑莊判刑前驗出腦瘤 直徑4.2厘米 將做切除手術及放射治療 (Brain tumor diagnosed in Tanya Chan, judge adjourns sentencing until June 10 to allow for surgery and therapy)
The Stand News, April 24, 2019

【佔中九子案-圖輯】在囹圄高牆前 發出最後的自由之聲 (Umbrella 9 in pictures: on the eve of sentencing, a cry for freedom)
HK01, April 23, 2019

耶魯大學港生撐黃傘 校園地標奏《海闊天空》支持佔中九子 (They can’t jail us all: Yale University students rally in support of Umbrella 9)
The Stand News, April 24, 2019

Related:
亂世當中,誰能無責;海不能隔,公民呼應 — 台灣公民團體聲援佔中九子 (Who can remain blameless in troubled times?: Taiwan civil organizations’ joint statement in support of Umbrella 9)
The Stand News, April 24, 2019

【九子判刑】台灣陸委會深表遺憾:印證一國兩制未能尊重保障民眾政治權利 (Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council express “deep regrets” over Umbrella 9 sentencing: “proof that One Country, Two Systems fails to respect, protect political rights")
The Stand News, April 24, 2019

Hong Kong publishers fear intensified censorship as city’s biggest book distributor SUP announces move to mainland China
South China Morning Post, April 24, 2019

Judge in LGBT civil union legal challenge rejects bid by Hong Kong Catholic diocese and conservative groups to join litigation
South China Morning Post, April 23, 2019

晚報:港大民研將於7月起脫離香港大學,獨立後更名「香港民意研究所」(Top pollster program to leave University of Hong Kong and operate as independent body starting July, will turn to public donations and crowdfunding)
The Initium, April 23, 2019

Commentary (评论)

台灣理所當然的校園自治,被「黨」管的中國大學想都不敢想 (The natural self-governance in Taiwan’s universities is a bewildering taboo for party-ruled Chinese counterparts)
The News Lens, April 24, 2019

Protesting in the name of science: The legacy of China’s May Fourth movement
SupChina, April 24, 2019

Seeing the forest for the trees: Why a lawyers’ group published Hong Kong’s first Rule of Law Report
Progressive Lawyers Group, April 23, 2019

當「指鹿為馬」變成了「國民的身份意識」(When “saying the deer is a horse” becomes part of national identity)
The Stand News, April 23, 2019

US and China must stop “race to bottom” in blocking academic visas, say American scholars
South China Morning Post, April 23, 2019

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

June Fourth: 30th Anniversary (“六四”三十周年)

认同六四镇压者 空函抗议纪念馆重开 (Hong Kong’s June Fourth memorial museum faces eviction demand by supporters of 1989 crackdown)
Radio France Internationale, April 22, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

【鐵腕治疆】中國大使:不懂普通話,有何人權? (Zhang Xiao, Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan, on Xinjiang internment camps: “If you don’t know your own country’s language, what human rights do you have?”)
Apple Daily, April 19, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

“六四酒案”三公民 遭即时监控 (Three “June Fourth liquor case” activists on suspended sentences forced to wear surveillance smart-watches with geo-location, voice-recording functions for full-time monitoring)
Radio Free Asia, April 22, 2019

时隔4个月后 李明哲妻子获准赴中国大陆探望丈夫 (After 4 months, wife of jailed Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che finally allowed to visit husband in prison)
Radio France Internationale, April 20, 2019

參與江蘇山東示威 退伍軍人維權 18人判囚 (18 retired soldiers jailed for 2-6 years for participating in protests in Shandong)
Ming Pao, April 20, 2019

唐荆陵出狱倒计时 旧金山华人领馆发声 (Jailed rights lawyer Tang Jingling to be released end of April, wife protests outside Chinese embassy in San Francisco)
Radio Free Asia, April 19, 2019