China Human Rights Briefings | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

[CHRB] Photographer Documenting Forced Labor & Tiananmen Massacre Secretly Detained (6/7-12, 2013)

June 13, 2013 Comments Off

Photographer and documentary filmmaker Du Bin (杜斌) has been held incommunicado since Beijing police seized him at his home on May 31, and is reportedly facing a charge of “illegal publishing.” Du’s detention may well be reprisal for his recent documentary on abuses in the Masanjia Women’s Re-education through Labor (read more…)

[CHRB] Authorities Delay Renewal of Licenses for Dozens of Rights Lawyers (5/31-6/6, 2013)

June 6, 2013 Comments Off

In possibly the largest-scale reprisal against Chinese human rights lawyers in years, authorities have not renewed licenses for dozens of lawyers and some law firms. Officials have provided no explanation for the delay, with the deadline for renewals from the annual review by government judiciary bureaus having passed at the (read more…)

[CHRB] Police Restrict Movements of Activists as Tiananmen Anniversary Nears (5/24-30, 2013)

May 31, 2013 Comments Off

Days before the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, Chinese authorities have elevated repression and harassment of activists in order to control their movements and prevent any public gathering to commemorate the tragic events of 1989. Also, in the ongoing crackdown on anti-corruption campaigning, two more individuals in Beijing have (read more…)

[CHRB] Torture, Other Mistreatment by Police (5/18-23, 2013)

May 23, 2013 Comments Off

Recent reports have surfaced about torture and other mistreatment suffered by Chinese in different forms of custody. Wang Hanfei (王寒非), the jailed editor of the Hong Kong-based journal “China Special Report,” has been seriously injured from beatings—with one result being an hearing impairment—and is being forced to work very long (read more…)

[CHRB] Political Prisoners Zhu Yufu and Xie Fulin Critically Ill (5/15-17, 2013)

May 17, 2013 Comments Off

[CHRB] Political Prisoners Zhu Yufu and Xie Fulin Critically Ill Two political prisoners who have long suffered from debilitating illnesses behind bars—Hangzhou dissident Zhu Yufu (朱虞夫) and Hunan activist Xie Fulin (谢福林)—need urgent medical attention. Zhu’s current state is partly due to a spike in mistreatment over the past few (read more…)

[CHRB] Chinese Authorities Resort to Violence Against Human Rights Defenders (5/ 9-14, 2013)

May 14, 2013 Comments Off

During a particularly brutal spate of violence against human rights defenders, authorities have physically assaulted many activists and lawyers, some of whom have been hurt by thugs and officers. Sichuan-based activist and blogger Chen Yunfei (陈云飞) was attacked by four “thugs” and suffered numerous injuries and even a possible concussion. (read more…)

[CHRB] Update: New Detentions, Arrests of Anti-Corruption Campaigners (5/2-8, 2013)

May 9, 2013 Comments Off

In a sign of an escalating crackdown on free expression, three activists in Beijing have been arrested and at least one in Jiangxi Province criminally detained for public disclosure of top officials’ financial assets. On May 7, Yuan Dong (袁冬), Zhang Baocheng (张宝成), and Ma Xinli (马新立) were formally arrested (read more…)

[CHRB] Police Torture Activists Involved in Anti-Corruption Campaign (4/26-5/1, 2013)

May 2, 2013 Comments Off

On April 27, police in Jiangxi Province tortured at least two activists—a married couple—after taking several people into custody, raiding homes, and confiscating property in Xinyu City. While holding Liu Xizhen (刘喜珍), police slapped her face so hard that it became swollen, and also cuffed Liu to an iron chair (read more…)

[CHRB] Responding to Quake, Activists Blocked by Authorities (4/19-25, 2013)

April 25, 2013 Comments Off

Authorities have restricted the movements of several individuals after the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province. On April 20, the day the quake hit, police prevented Chengdu activists from reaching the stricken area in Ya’an City, and several ethnic Tibetans were blocked as well after setting out to assist quake victims. (read more…)

[CHRB] Courts Sentence 12 Tibetans on Trumped-up Charges (April 11-18, 2013)

April 18, 2013 Comments Off

Two courts in Qinghai Province have sentenced a total of 12 ethnic Tibetans on trumped-up charges, handing down punishments ranging from three to six years for “inciting splittism” and “illegally holding a demonstration.” One case is tied to photographs and information shared online about self-immolations, while the other stems from (read more…)

[CHRB] Detainee Diary Reveals Horrendous Abuses in Women’s Labor Camp (4/4-10, 2013)

April 11, 2013 Comments Off

A detainee’s disclosures of mistreatment at a women’s Re-education through Labor (RTL) camp have triggered reports in Chinese media, forcing officials to promise an investigation into the revelations. A diary, the source of the information, details how police have arbitrarily detained petitioners under the pretext of “maintaining stability” and committed (read more…)

[CHRB] Activists Detained for Seeking Public Disclosure of Top Chinese Officials’ Wealth (3/28-4/3, 2013)

April 4, 2013 Comments Off

Four Chinese activists have been criminally detained on a charge of “unlawful assembly” after holding a public rally at which they held banners calling for public disclosure of Chinese officials’ personal wealth. On March 31, police dragged away the activists, who had demonstrated a dozen times since February. In other (read more…)