Originally published in Bangkok Post on March 11, 2013 A few miles from China’s National People’s Congress in Beijing, citizens who have travelled from across the country to tell the government about their problems face tight controls on this age-old right. China’s centuries-old petition system, developed under imperial rule, is (read more…)
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Two courts in Xinjiang recently sentenced 20 Uyghurs to prison on charges of “inciting splittism,” handing down four life sentences and 16 other punishments ranging from 5 to 15 years. Reportedly, the courts found that the Uyghurs allegedly “used the Internet, cellphones, and electronic storage media to organize, lead, and participate in a terrorist organization” (read more…)
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Three ethnic Tibetans were recently sentenced to prison in Qinghai Province on charges of “inciting splittism,” given terms ranging from four to six years. In issuing its decision, a court reportedly stated that the defendants took advantage of self-immolation incidents and sent out texts and distributed photographs related to Tibetan (read more…)
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On March 14, police in Beijing summoned human rights activist Hu Jia (胡佳), citing suspicion of “creating a disturbance,” and proceeded to insult and torture him during an eight-hour interrogation that has left him with serious injuries. Police questioned Hu about details of a visit to Liu Xia (刘霞), who (read more…)
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Several ethnic Tibetans were recently sentenced to prison in Qinghai Province, including a popular singer whose songs with pro-Tibet independence themes provoked authorities, and a senior monk who participated in a peaceful procession last year during which he carried the remains of his nephew, who had self-immolated. As is common (read more…)
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With a major change of the guard at the top echelon of China’s one-party power, 2012 was marked by authorities’ intensified attempts to thwart human rights activism but also impressive civil society campaigns that fought for rights protections. As illustrated by CHRD’s newest report, human rights defenders (HRDs) expanded their (read more…)
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Shanghai activist Cui Fufang (崔福芳) was handed a one-year RTL punishment in October 2012, allegedly for attending a memorial for the mother of activist Wang Kouma (王扣玛) that January. A month before this RTL decision came down, and despite having been put under house arrest, Cui was criminally detained on (read more…)
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Wang Dengchao, a Shenzhen policeman and an advocate for democratic reforms, was given a 14-year sentence in November 2012 (and fined 20,000 yuan) on trumped-up charges of “embezzlement” and “disrupting official business.” Wang was also required to return 2.8 million yuan that he supposedly had taken.
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Police are rounding up and restricting the movement of Chinese activists as the annual “Two Meetings”—the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference—convene in Beijing. The legislative sessions, during which authorities heavily deploy “stability maintenance” resources, are seen this spring as especially “sensitive” and significant to the Chinese (read more…)
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Xu Wanping, a democracy and human rights activist, is serving a 12-year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power,” handed down in December 2005. The verdict is believed to come in retaliation for Xu’s efforts to establish the “China Action Party” and a local branch of “China Democracy Party.”
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An open letter signed by more than 100 prominent Chinese citizens is calling on the government to ratify the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Addressed to the new leaders on the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the letter is drawing attention to free speech and (read more…)
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Shanghai human rights activist Wei Qin (魏勤) has been held incommunicado since she was seized in Beijing in late September. Her family, which is very concerned about her health, has not been allowed to visit her, with police claiming that Wei’s case is “under investigation.” A signatory of Charter 08, (read more…)
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