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, September 06, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

China hacked Asian telcos to spy on Uighur travelers: sources
Reuters, September 5, 2019

Related:
路透:为北京服务的黑客侵入亚洲电信公司系统监控维族人行踪 (Beijing’s hackers breached Asian telecoms systems to spy on Uyghurs)
Voice of America, September 5, 2019

Xinjiang officials must keep up the pressure in the run-up to China’s National Day, says local party chief Chen Quanguo
South China Morning Post, September 5, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

Tibetan monk gets three-year prison term after being held for more than a year
Radio Free Asia, September 5, 2019

Canada: Trudeau accuses China of using ‘arbitrary detentions’ for political ends
The Guardian, September 5, 2019

周永康之子周滨诉讼案难寻律师 (Zhou Yongkang’s son faces difficulty finding representation after 5th lawyer terminates contract)
Radio France Internationale, September 5, 2019

Human rights lawyer disappears months after release
ChinaAid, August 30, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

China releases a movie drama featuring its belt-and-road project
The Economist, September 5, 2019

China’s Hong Kong narrative is confusing its own people
Quartz, September 5, 2019

Related:
Minitrue: Do not report on withdrawal of HK extradition bill
China Digital Times, September 5, 2019

China opts for low-key coverage of Hong Kong extradition bill withdrawal
South China Morning Post, September 5, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

Gay Chinese take a modest first step towards civil unions
The Economist, September 5, 2019

Hong Kongers find flickers of hope in Ukraine's Winter on Fire
Al Jazeera, September 5, 2019

Wife of lawyer under house arrest pens appeal to Merkel ahead of China trip
Radio Free Asia, September 5, 2019

Hong and Kong? Berlin’s panda cubs at centre of Chinese human rights row
The Guardian, September 5, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Hong Kong a priority for U.S. Senate Democrats, leader says
Reuters, September 6, 2019

中国精英藏富香港 “一国”与“两制”难取舍?(China’s elite with riches in Hong Kong are now caught between “one country” and “two systems”)
Deutsche Welle, September 5, 2019

China urges Canada to reflect on ‘mistakes’ but approves new envoy
Hong Kong Free Press, September 5, 2019

Maldives: US Ambassador’s scathing attack rattles China at IOC (Indian Ocean Conference)
Asian News International, September 5, 2019

Angela Merkel in China: A trip fraught with difficulties
Deutsche Welle, September 6, 2019

Senior officials concede loss of U.S. clout as Trump prepares for U.N. summit
Foreign Policy, September 5, 2019

Solomon Islands to sever ties with Taiwan, shift alliance to Beijing
Reuters, September 5, 2019

Related:
Beijing offers development fund if Solomon Islands breaks diplomatic ties with Taipei
Reuters, September 5, 2019

Local board candidate offers virtual cash credits to potential supporters on WeChat
New Zealand Herald, September 54, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

教育部科技司:校园推广人脸识别技术应谨慎,将限制和管理 (Ministry of Education warns caution regarding facial recognition technology on campus, to propose restrictions)
The Paper, September 6, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

【逃犯條例】8.31太子站真相未明 兩少女站內下跪求公開CCTV (Two young women kneel in Prince Edward MTR station requesting release of surveillance footage of Aug. 31 MTR attacks) Ming Pao, September 6, 2019

Related:
MTR decides to keep station footage for 3 years
Radio Television Hong Kong, September 6, 2019

中国为何愤怒指责美国是香港抗议“幕后黑手”
In Hong Kong protests, China angrily connects dots back to U.S.
The New York Times, September 5, 2019

Why this bookseller is still afraid to return home to Hong Kong
Vice News, September 5, 2019

Related:
Here’s why people in Hong Kong are terrified of being extradited to China
Vice News, September 6, 2019

粉嶺嘉盛苑女子墮樓亡 逾百市民獻花悼念 (Hundreds bring flowers to estate in Fanling after 9th suicide in anti-extradition movement)
Inmediahk.net, September 5, 2019

何君堯指罷課等如違法 派惠州社團成員監察學校 (Legislator Junius Ho says class boycott “equal to violating the law,” sends group to monitor schools and students)
Inmediahk.net, September 5, 2019

As Hong Kong protesters push on, no sign of more concessions by government
The New York Times, September 5, 2019

Home of Hong Kong pro-democracy publisher firebombed
Financial Times, September 5, 2019

Joshua Wong calls for renewed campaign for fully democratic elections in Hong Kong
Radio Free Asia, September 5, 2019

The American father and son exporting tear gas to Hong Kong
BuzzFeed News, September 5, 2019

Commentary (评论)

Why the mutually assured destruction rhetoric in Hong Kong is dangerous
The Diplomat, September 6, 2019

Opinion: Hong Kong residents would rather sacrifice their future than submit to authoritarian rule
The Los Angeles Times, September 5, 2019

林郑月娥真的向香港人民让步了吗?
Hong Kong, Carrie Lam didn’t do it for you
The New York Times, September 5, 2019

Election bans must be legally justified
South China Morning Post, September 5, 2019

The Hong Kong government is as leaderless as the protesters
Foreign Policy, September 5, 2019

China has a soft-power problem: Beijing is eager to exert cultural influence, but only a free society, in open conversation with itself, can create global aspirations
Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2019

What China experts have to do to get on Beijing’s visa ‘whitelist’
Washington Post, September 5, 2019

Thursday, September 05, 2019

Xinjiang (新疆)

Xinjiang authorities arrest sibling Uyghur real estate moguls, jail one for decades
Radio Free Asia, September 4, 2019

How companies profit from forced labor in Xinjiang
SupChina, September 4, 2019

Access to Justice (司法公正)

周強:法官要更好履行維護國家政治安全職責 (President of Supreme People’s Court urges judges to better execute duty to protect national security)
Radio Television Hong Kong, September 4, 2019

【甄江華案】檢察院上月宣布已開庭審理後刪帖 關注群批:鬼鬼祟祟 (Zhen Jianghua case: Procuratorate announces trial occurred last month, but all information has been deleted from court website)
Stand News, September 5, 2019

Shanghai single mother fights for maternity benefits
SupChina, September 4, 2019

Access to Information (信息公开)

Old messages, new memes: Beijing’s propaganda playbook on the Hong Kong protests
Financial Times, September 4, 2019

Related:
The emergence and evolution of China’s internet warriors going to battle over Hong Kong protests
South China Morning Post, September 4, 2019

Citizen Participation (公民参与)

The ‘OK’ hand gesture that's rattled China's authorities
BBC, September 5, 2019

Beijing targets Taiwanese writer Lung Ying-tai as bad egg for supporting Hong Kong protesters
South China Morning Post, September 5, 2019

留學台灣香港學生反送中被控暴動 台大學校長願意到港作保 換取被捕學生平安回台上課 (Taiwan university headmaster willing to come to Hong Kong to bail arrested student, classmates issue joint statement in support)
Stand News, September 4, 2019

Translation: “To the People of Hong Kong”
China Digital Times, September 5, 2019

撑香港与台湾 美学界吁国会与行政部门动起来 (US academics urge Congress, Executive branch to act on Hong Kong and Taiwan)
Radio Free Asia, September 4, 2019

Dozens protest against Chinese influence in Kazakhstan
Reuters, September 4, 2019

Related:
数百名哈萨克斯坦人举行抗议 反对中国工厂迁至哈萨克斯坦 (Hundreds of Kazakhs protest against Chinese factories)
Voice of America, September 4, 2019

Government Accountability (政府问责)

Canada names new China envoy amid damaged relations
Associated Press, September 5, 2019

“百年老站”郑州火车站的厕所革命 (“Toilet revolution” in Zhengzhou train station installs face detection for dispensing toilet paper)
People’s Daily, September 5, 2019

Xi Jinping names ‘Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan’ as a risk for the Chinese Communist Party
South China Morning Post, September 4, 2019

Communist Party names Wang Hao new chief of scandal-hit Chinese city Xian
South China Morning Post, September 4, 2019

Hong Kong protests overshadow Merkel trip to China
Reuters, September 4, 2019

Related:
Hong Kong protesters appeal to Germany’s Angela Merkel before China visit
Agence France-Presse, September 4, 2019

德国多个政党在默克尔访华前为香港发声 (German Parliamentarians urge Merkel to speak on Hong Kong before upcoming China visit)
Deutsche Welle, September 4, 2019

Leak shows Beijing’s tight rein on Hong Kong crisis
China Digital Times, September 3, 2019

ICTs and Human Rights (信息技术与人权)

He tried to sell ’revolutionary’ backpacks in Hong Kong. Facebook’s response left him ‘gobsmacked’
South China Morning Post, September 5, 2019

Huawei is a national security concern, says Trump
Press Trust of India, September 5, 2019

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam insists she decided to withdraw extradition bill, not Beijing
South China Morning Post, September 5, 2019

Related:
Government insiders reveal why it took Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam three months to withdraw hated extradition bill
South China Morning Post, September 5, 2019

’Too little, too late’: Hong Kong democrats and protesters vow further action despite extradition bill withdrawal
Hong Kong Free Press, September 4, 2019

銀髮族赴特首辦請願 斥「撤回」為時已晚 邀林鄭出席周日論壇 (“Silver haired” protesters ask Carrie Lam to attend public forum on Sunday, dissatisfied at late and incomplete response)
Stand News, September 5, 2019

Cathay Pacific’s chairman resigns as China pressures Hong Kong business
The New York Times, September 4, 2019

元朗建制鄉事聯手拒獨立調查 淡化白衣人暴行 (Pro-establishment district councillors block motion to investigate Yuen Long attacks on July 21)
Inmediahk.net, September 4, 2019

Hong Kong’s cleaners left to pick up pieces after protest violence without proper protection against effects of tear gas
South China Morning Post, September 4, 2019

Police hit me inside van, at station: detainee
Radio Television Hong Kong, September 4, 2019

First young people, then bankers: How Hong Kong protests swelled
The Christian Science Monitor, September 4, 2019

Commentary (评论)

Why Hong Kong protesters have tolerated the use of radical tactics
Channel News Asia, September 5, 2019

Standing up to Beijing, 30 years apart
The Atlantic, September 4, 2019

Hong Kong: Full investigation needed into police response to protests
Amnesty International, September 4, 2019

If Carrie Lam declares an emergency in Hong Kong, she will be defying the rule of law
South China Morning Post, September 4, 2019

愛國與愛教:梵蒂岡與北京的博弈走向何方?(Religion and patriotism: Where will the tug-of-war between the Vatican and Beijing take us?)
The Initium, September 2, 2019