VC | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

China Must Release Jiang Tianyong, Liu Feiyue & Huang Qi, Honor Commitment Made at UN to Protect Rights

November 30, 2016 Comments Off

CHRD urges the Chinese government to release three prominent civil society leaders whose cases of deprived liberty further signal the escalation of President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on human rights activism.

[CHRB] Anti-Corruption Activist Imprisoned, Police Put Down Mass Environmental Protests in Xi’an (10/14-20, 2016)

October 20, 2016 Comments Off

Activist Cheng Kangming was handed a 4½-year prison sentence on October 18, likely in retaliation for exposing official corruption in Zhejiang. Over one thousand armed police in Xi’an crushed a massive protest against a planned waste incinerator plant on October 16.

China: Bringing Down The House

October 1, 2016 Comments Off

By Victor Clemens | China’s central government has made the construction of more affordable urban housing an official goal, but in China and elsewhere, creating affordable housing should not come at the expense of human rights.

China: Overturn Unjust Verdict & Release Lawyer Xia Lin

September 22, 2016 Comments Off

CHRD denounces the Chinese government’s politically-motivated punishment of human rights lawyer Xia Lin, who was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment on trumped-up charges on September 22.

[CHRB] Chinese Police Seize Dozens of Activists, Petitioners Prior to G20 Summit in Hangzhou (8/19-9/2, 2016)

September 2, 2016 Comments Off

CHRD has documented dozens of cases of deprived liberty of activists and petitioners as part of the Chinese government’s “stability maintenance” measures before the G20 Summit of world leaders opening this Sunday in Hangzhou.

Risky prospects: Engagement of Chinese human rights defenders with the Human Rights Council

June 1, 2016 Comments Off

By Linda Wang & Alex Beck | For many Chinese human rights defenders and independent non-governmental organizations, difficulties and risks associated with engaging the Human Rights Council, including threat of Chinese government reprisals, outweigh the benefits. But there are meaningful actions the Council can take to improve access and to (read more…)

[CHRB] Family Notified of Activist’s Arrest 226 Days After He Disappeared in Myanmar (5/19/2016)

May 19, 2016 Comments Off

Activist Xing Qingxian (幸清贤), who has been disappeared for over seven months after being abducted in Myanmar, was formally arrested on May 6 on suspicion of “organizing others to cross national borders.” Xing is apparently being held in Tianjin Municipal No. 2 Detention Center—the first known confirmation of his exact (read more…)

[CHRB] Inner Mongolians Detained for Exposing & Protesting Environmental Ruin, Violated Land Rights (5/13-18/2016)

May 17, 2016 Comments Off

In a string of suppressive actions since March, police have detained several Inner Mongolian activists, petitioners, and herders in retaliation for exposing or protesting industrial pollution and corruption over land rights that have threatened their livelihoods. Six individuals remain in custody, with one held incommunicado and, thus, at significant risk (read more…)

China: Investigate Alleged Torture of Detained Rights Defender Yin Xu’an

May 12, 2016 Comments Off

CHRD calls for an independent investigation into the alleged torture of human rights defender Yin Xu’an (尹旭安), who has been detained in retaliation for his rights advocacy work since July 2015. Authorities only allowed Yin his first lawyer visit this week, after holding him incommunicado for over nine months. During (read more…)

[CHRB] China Must Release 5 Activists on Trial: Cases Marred by Abuses (4/13-21/2016)

April 21, 2016 Comments Off

Four detained human rights defenders have been tried since April 15, and a fifth is facing trial on April 22. All have spent lengthy periods of time in detention without seeing a judge, including two who have been held for almost three years. The activists—Liu Shaoming, Yuan Bing, Yuan Xiaohua, (read more…)

[CHRB] What You Need to Know About Last Week’s Prison Sentences & Xi Jinping’s 2014 Crackdowns (4/1-4/12, 2016)

April 13, 2016 Comments Off

Prison sentences recently given to six human right defenders are reminders of ongoing arbitrary detentions and relentless persecution of dissent in China under Xi Jinping’s rule. The six activists were convicted on April 8 of “inciting subversion of state power” in Guangdong and Hubei, and sentenced to terms of between (read more…)

[CHRB] Forced “Switch” to Police-Appointed Lawyers Further Erodes Protections for Detained Rights Defenders (3/15-3/21, 2016)

March 21, 2016 Comments Off

A substantial number of detained lawyers and activists have supposedly “dismissed” their lawyers and “hired” other lawyers to represent them, according to police notifications over the past two months. All but one of the 11 cases that CHRD has documented are tied to the “709” crackdown targeting rights lawyers. Police (read more…)