Sydney | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

“Olympics Security” Crackdown Sends Veteran Democracy Activist to Criminal Detention

August 4, 2008 Comments Off

“Olympics Security” Crackdown Sends Veteran Democracy Activist to Criminal Detention (Chinese Human Rights Defenders, August 4, 2008) – CHRD has learned that Wang Rongqing (王荣清), a member of China Democracy Party Zhejiang Branch, has been formally arrested on “inciting subversion of state power”. [Please note this correction: Wang was formally (read more…)

China Human Rights Briefing July 16-30, 2008

August 1, 2008 Comments Off

China Human Rights Briefing Reporting human rights development from the grassroots July 16-30, 2008 Please click here for the full China Human Rights Briefing in PDF EDITORIAL As athletes and journalists arrive in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics, due to open on August 8, the Chinese government has used “Olympics (read more…)

China Human Rights Briefing July 1-15, 2008

July 15, 2008 Comments Off

China Human Rights Briefing Reporting human rights development from the grassroots July 1-15, 2008 HIGHLIGHTS Less than a month before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government is taking security measures against activists and potential protesters on a scale unseen since the period immediately after the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. Many (read more…)

China Human Rights Briefing May 1-15, 2008

May 15, 2008 Comments Off

China Human Rights Briefing Reporting human rights development from the grassroots May 1-15, 2008 HIGHLIGHTS Pollution continues to drive spontaneous demonstrations around the country. In Zhejiang, seven were injured when a thousand villagers protested against toxic gas emitted from a nearby chemical plant, while in Chengdu, four cyber-activists were arrested (read more…)

Henan AIDS Activists Li Xige and Miaojue Cizhi Summoned by Police

May 1, 2008 Comments Off

Henan AIDS Activists Li Xige and Miaojue Cizhi Summoned by Police (Chinese Human Rights Defenders, May 1, 2008) – In the early hours of May 1, a dozen police barged into the home of Henan AIDS activist Li Xige (李喜阁) and took away Li and fellow AIDS activist Miaojue Cizhi (read more…)

Dancing in Shackles: A Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in China (2007)

May 1, 2008 Comments Off

Dancing in Shackles A Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in China (2007) A report by Chinese Human Rights Defenders In its Special Series on Human Rights and the Olympics Table of Contents Introduction The liberties and personal security necessary for human rights defenders (HRDs) to promote and (read more…)

China Human Rights Briefing April 15-30, 2008

April 30, 2008 Comments Off

China Human Rights Briefing Reporting human rights development from the grassroots April 15-30, 2008 Highlights Land rights: At least one died and hundreds were injured when thousands of villagers clashed with local authorities over forced land seizures in Yunnan, Hainan and Hubei Provinces. The clashes were the direct result of (read more…)

Zheng Mingfang, Petitioner and Activist, Sent to Re-education through Labor

April 20, 2008 Comments Off

Zheng Mingfang, Petitioner and Activist, Sent to Re-education through Labor (Chinese Human Rights Defenders, April 20, 2008)- Zheng Mingfang (郑明芳), petitioner turned activist from Ji County, Tianjin, has been secretly sent to Re-education through Labor (RTL) for two years. According to Zheng’s family, who obtained information from a detainee released (read more…)

China Human Rights Briefing April 1-15, 2008

April 15, 2008 Comments Off

China Human Rights Briefing Reporting human rights development from the grassroots April 1-15, 2008 HIGHLIGHTS In the most blatant act of politicizing the Olympics, Chinese authorities sentenced human rights activist, Hu Jia, to three-and-a-half years in prison and one year’s deprivation of political rights for “inciting subversion of state power.” (read more…)

China Human Rights Briefing March 15-31, 2008

March 31, 2008 Comments Off

China Human Rights Briefing Reporting human rights development from the grassroots March 15-31 On March 24, the same day the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, Chinese human rights defender, Yang Chunlin, was sentenced to five years in prison for collecting signatures to endorse an open letter entitled “We (read more…)

China Human Rights Briefing March 1-15, 2008

March 15, 2008 Comments Off

China Human Rights Briefing Reporting human rights development from the grassroots March 1-15, 2008 Editor’s Note Despite being closely-watched by international monitoring bodies and advocacy groups, Beijing is becoming increasingly emboldened and assertive in its “security measures” which include a harsh crackdown on human rights activists in preparation for the (read more…)

Silencing Complaints: Human Rights Abuses Against Petitioners in China

March 14, 2008 Comments Off

Silencing Complaints: Human Rights Abuses Against Petitioners in China A report by Chinese Human Rights Defenders In its Special Series on Human Rights and the Olympics Abstract As China prepares to host the Olympics, this report finds that illegal interception and arbitrary detention of petitioners bringing grievances to higher (read more…)