Alerts & Statements - Chinese Human Rights DefendersChinese Human Rights Defenders

Travesty of Justice – Beijing’s Show Trials of Civil Society Leaders Xu Zhiyong, Zhao Changqing, & Others

January 23, 2014 Comments Off

A Beijing court held a closed door trial of prominent Chinese civil society leader, Xu Zhiyong (许志永). Seized in the Crackdown on Assembly, Association, and Expression, Xu along with dozens of activists, lawyers, and citizen journalists have been detained for demanding top officials disclose their wealth.

Chinese Government Lacks the Qualifications for Membership on UN Human Rights Council

November 7, 2013 Comments Off

Chinese Human Rights Defenders is concerned that the government of China, which is seeking a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for a third time, has clearly failed to comply with the standards established by the UN General Assembly. CHRD urges UN Member States to take into (read more…)

Activist Chen Jianfang Disappeared, Police Raided Residence – Chinese Authorities Intensify Reprisals Ahead of UN Human Rights Council Election

November 5, 2013 Comments Off

CHRD is deeply concerned about the safety of Shanghai-based activist Chen Jianfang (陈建芳) and the imminent danger of torture she faces. Chen has been missing for more than 24 hours as of November 5, 2013. Chen was last in touch with friends on November 4 when she was on her (read more…)

UN Working Group Finds China’s Psychiatric Detention of Petitioner “Arbitrary”

July 21, 2014 Comments Off

CHRD welcomes the opinion adopted by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) that the lengthy detention of Heilongjiang petitioner Xing Shiku (邢世库) in a psychiatric hospital has been “arbitrary.” In an opinion issued on May 20, the Working Group calls for Xing’s release and requests the Chinese government (read more…)

China: End Impunity for the 1989 Atrocities and Guarantee Right to Redress

June 2, 2014 Comments Off

On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, CHRD urges the Chinese government to end the impunity for gross human rights violations during the 1989 suppression of pro-democracy protests, to stop its suppression of survivors and outspoken critics, to guarantee the victims’ right to obtain redress and (read more…)

Show Trial of Jiangxi Activists Suspended: Lawyers Demanded Releases, Calling Detentions Unlawful

October 29, 2013 Comments Off

A Chinese court had to suspend the trial of activists Liu Ping (刘萍), Wei Zhongping (魏忠平), and Li Sihua (李思华) on October 28 in Jiangxi Province after defendants and lawyers protested myriad violations of legal rights. A lawyer told CHRD that the prosecutors and the court were pushed back in (read more…)

CHRD Suggestions for UPR Recommendations to China

October 15, 2013 Comments Off

(Chinese Human Rights Defenders, October 15, 2013) – In the run-up to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on China at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on October 22, 2013, CHRD suggests governments of UN member states participating in the review make robust, specific, and relevant recommendations to China.

Charter 08’s Legacy & China’s Failure to Honor Human Rights Obligations

December 9, 2013 Comments Off

December 10, 2013, marked the 5th anniversary of Charter 08—a manifesto on human rights and democracy in China—and the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, that day of great inspiration was marred because the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波), continued to languish in (read more…)

Alert: More Lawyers & Activists Criminally Detained or Disappeared in Run-up to Tiananmen Anniversary

May 19, 2014 Comments Off

More lawyers and activists have been detained or disappeared in the run-up the June Fourth anniversary. Prominent human rights lawyers Tang Jingling (唐荆陵) and Liu Shihui (刘士辉) have been criminally detained. In Guangzhou, activist Wang Qingying (王清营) has been criminally detained as well, while activist Yuan Xinting (袁新亭), who has (read more…)

China Must Stop Excluding Civil Society From UN Human Rights Review

October 7, 2013 Comments Off

Two weeks before China undergoes a UN human rights review known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Beijing police once again suppressed demonstrations demanding civil society’s role in national preparations for UPR. On October 3 and 4, police forcibly removed more than a dozen activists who had returned to demonstrate (read more…)

Chinese Government Must Stop Intimidating Citizens Seeking Truth About June 4, 1989

May 6, 2014 Comments Off

CHRD is alarmed by reports that Beijing police have summoned intellectuals and family members of Tiananmen victims after they organized or attended a seminar on May 3 about June Fourth. It is unusual that, with still one month to go before the anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, Chinese authorities have (read more…)

China: Reverse Travesty of Justice, Free Persecuted Human Rights Defenders in Jiangxi

June 20, 2014 Comments Off

CHRD condemns the harsh punishments issued to Jiangxi activists Liu Ping (刘萍), Wei Zhongping (魏忠平), and Li Sihua (李思华) and demands their immediate release. The activists were sentenced by the Yushui County District Court in Xinyu City on June 19, over 14 months after they were first detained and more (read more…)