China Human Rights Briefings | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

[CHRB] Police Detain Online Whistleblowers as Judicial Interpretation Takes Effect (9/20-25, 2013)

September 26, 2013 Comments Off

Two individuals, including a high school student, Yang Hui (杨辉), were recently detained for using social media to question police handling of a man’s death. The detentions are the first known applied instances of a judicial interpretation on “spreading rumors” and “defamation” online that took effect on September 10. Also, (read more…)

[CHRB] Two Activists Sentenced After One Year in Detention (9/12-19, 2013)

September 18, 2013 Comments Off

A court in Shanghai has sentenced activists Wang Kouma (王扣玛) and Wei Qin (魏勤) to prison on charges of “creating a disturbance” in apparent retaliation for their rights activities and petitioning. Police put many activists under surveillance at home to prevent them from attending the sentencing, and also blocked foreign (read more…)

[CHRB] New Allegations of Torture, Lawyer for a Political Prisoner Threatened with Disbarment (11/21-11/27, 2013)

November 28, 2013 Comments Off

Petitioner Yin Huimin (尹慧敏) was released on November 23, after being administratively detained for nine days and tortured by Shanghai police. Yin recounted torture and mistreatment during her detention, including being shackled and hung from an iron railing for 48 hours. During this period, the 49-year-old Yin was deprived of (read more…)

[CHRB] Lawyers Warn Against Other Forms of Arbitrary Detention to Replace RTL (11/14-11/20, 2013)

November 21, 2013 Comments Off

The Chinese Lawyers for the Protection of Human Rights issued a statement highlighting six major recommendations for the effective abolition of Re-education Through Labor (RTL) system, after the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced its decision to abolish it at the end of its Third Plenum on (read more…)

[CHRB] Judicial Authorities Lend Support to Government Crackdown on Online Expression (9/6-11, 2013)

September 12, 2013 Comments Off

On September 9, China’s highest judicial authorities issued an interpretation of the criminal code, specifying conditions under which “spreading rumors” and “defamation” online would be subjected to criminal punishment. Outlining criteria that appears arbitrary and open to abuse, the authorities stated that any “rumor-spreading” or “defaming” online post, if it (read more…)

[CHRB] Lawyer Detained for Driving Car with Anti-Corruption Slogans upon Arriving at Ding Jiaxi’s Trial (4/11-4/17/2014)

April 17, 2014 Comments Off

Guangdong lawyer Wang Quanping (王全平) was criminally detained on a charge of “creating a disturbance” by Beijing police. Wang had driven to Beijing all the way from Jiangmen City in Guangdong with his car painted with sarcastic messages mocking the government’s persecution of New Citizens’ Movement members. Shenzhen labor rights (read more…)

[CHRB] Details of Lawyers’ Torture Emerge, 3 Tibetan Villagers Given Long Sentences (4/4-4/10/2014)

April 10, 2014 Comments Off

Three human rights lawyers recently released from detention in Heilongjiang Province—Jiang Tianyong (江天勇), Tang Jitian (唐吉田), and Wang Cheng (王成)—have confirmed reports of being torture in police custody, adding to the spate of violence against lawyers and activists in Jiansanjiang since late March. In addition, delayed trials for three activists (read more…)

[CHRB] “Chinese Citizens vs. The Government” Over Participation in Universal Periodic Review (8/29-9/5, 2013)

September 6, 2013 Comments Off

A court in Beijing has refused to hear an administrative lawsuit filed by dozens of activists against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) seeking disclosure of information related to Universal Periodic Review, the latest move by authorities to block civil society efforts to participate in the UN Human Rights Council (read more…)

[CHRB] Two Dozen Detained Over Black Jail Case, Former RTL Abuse Victim Under Criminal Detention (3/28/-4/3/2014)

April 3, 2014 Comments Off

More than two dozen individuals, including human rights lawyers, activists, and relatives of detained Falun Gong practitioners, now have been physically assaulted or given detentions in Heilongjiang Province in connection to a black jail investigation. Jiansanjiang City authorities have admitted to administratively detaining 11 people on March 22 on suspicion (read more…)

[CHRB] Law Professor Suspended in Reprisal for Representing Detained Activists (8/22-28, 2013)

August 29, 2013 Comments Off

Law professor and lawyer Zhang Xuezhong (张雪忠) has been suspended from his teaching post at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, apparently in a move to retaliate against him for an article he wrote promoting constitutional reform in China and for representing activists who have been (read more…)

[CHRB] Tibetan Dies From Torture Suffered in Prison; Lawyers Detained for Exposing Black Jail (3/21-3/27/2014)

March 27, 2014 Comments Off

Tibetan political prisoner Goshul Lobsang died on March 19 in Gansu Province following torture that he suffered in prison, about five months after being released on medical parole. Reportedly, Lobsang, 43, was brutally tortured while detained, including being shackled and beaten. Also, four human rights lawyers were seized on March (read more…)

[CHRB] Six Months after Mental Health Law Took Effect, Involuntary Psychiatric Commitment Continues (11/8-13, 2013)

November 14, 2013 Comments Off

China’s first Mental Health Law took effect on May 1, 2013 with the aim to regulate the mental health industry. One of the most significant provisions in the law is that psychiatric commitment must be voluntary, thus only a certified psychiatrist would have the authority to commit a person suffering (read more…)