In the Press | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

Xinjiang court upholds ‘extraordinarily harsh’ 19-year sentence for outspoken writer Zhang Haitao

December 1, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by HKFP on November 29, 2016 A Xinjiang court struck down an appeal on Monday over the 19-year sentence of writer and activist Zhang Haitao. Zhang was sentenced in January to 15 years for “inciting subversion of state power” and a shorter sentence for “providing intelligence to those outside borders.” He filed an (read more…)

China failing to deliver on human rights promises, NGO tells UN

December 1, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by HKFP on November 24, 2016 An assessment by rights groups has found “large discrepancies” between the Chinese government’s promises and its actions concerning human rights. The Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders – a group of Chinese and international human rights NGOs – released the report on Tuesday. The (read more…)

China failing to deliver on human rights promises, NGO tells UN

November 24, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by HKFP on November 24, 2016 An assessment by rights groups has found “large discrepancies” between the Chinese government’s promises and its actions concerning human rights. The network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders – a group of Chinese and international human rights NGOs – released the report on Tuesday. (read more…)

China persigue a candidatos independientes en los únicos comicios que celebra

November 18, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Terra on November 15, 2016 China celebró hoy elecciones para elegir a los diputados de asambleas legislativas locales en pueblos y algunas ciudades del país, pero los comicios estuvieron estrictamente controlados por las autoridades y varios candidatos independientes fueron detenidos o amenazados para que no lograran un asiento. En (read more…)

China harasses independent candidates for low-level offices

November 18, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Associated Press on November 15, 2016 BEIJING — Liu Huizhen, a petite, soft-spoken farmer’s daughter who wants to serve her community, might seem an unlikely threat to China’s all-powerful Communist Party. Yet, as Chinese vote Tuesday for low-level representatives, authorities have responded to Liu’s bid as an independent (read more…)

Les avocats chinois mis hors la loi

November 1, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Liberation on October 30, 2016 «C’est une opération politique de très grande ampleur. Le pouvoir chinois a sans doute estimé que nous étions devenus trop nuisibles. Ces nouvelles régulations sont un instrument pour nous supprimer.»L’homme qui se confie dans ce petit square de Pékin et dont il (read more…)

Rights Groups Slam China’s Record Ahead of U.N. Council Vote

October 27, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Radio Free Asia on October 26, 2016 Prominent rights activists and campaigners have called on democratic members of the United Nations to block China’s re-election on Friday for another two-year term on its Human Rights Council. The New York-based Human Rights Watch cited China as a current council (read more…)

Wife of detained Chinese human rights lawyer tries to sue lawyer appointed by authorities

October 27, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on October 24, 2016 A Tianjin court held a hearing on Friday to decide whether the wife of a detained human rights lawyer will be able to sue a government-appointed lawyer representing her husband. Yuan Shanshan, the wife of Xie Yanyi, who was detained as part of (read more…)

How the party’s absolute power undermines its efforts to strengthen China’s rule of law

October 20, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by SCMP on October 19, 2016 When their decades-long efforts failed to stamp out rampant corruption even among anti-graft investigators and get law enforcers to actually abide by the law, China’s communist leadership should have understood that behind such crises lies not a failure of governance but rather the (read more…)

Still no answers a year after bookseller Gui Minhai’s disappearance

October 19, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on October 17, 2016 A year after publisher Gui Minhai disappeared from his holiday home in Thailand only to reappear in custody in mainland China, Swedish authorities say they are continuing to work towards a solution. Gui was a co-owner of Causeway Bay Books and (read more…)

China verurteilt Bürgerrechtsanwalt zu zwölf Jahren Haft

October 5, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Spiegel Online on September 22, 2016 Die größte Verfolgungswelle seit Jahren in China dauert fort: Ein Gericht in Peking hat den Bürgerrechtsanwalt Xia Lin zu zwölf Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt. Der 46-Jährige ist wegen Betrugs schuldig gesprochen worden, teilte sein Anwalt Wang Zhenyu mit. Menschenrechtler kritisierten das Urteil: Xia (read more…)

Chinese lawyers sign petition against ‘draconian’ new rules preventing them from ‘pressuring’ court

October 5, 2016 Comments Off

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press on October 5, 2016 110 lawyers have signed a petition calling upon China to rescind amendments to its Administrative Measures for Law Firms, a measure rumoured to be rolling out on November 1, according to Canyu, a Chinese human rights website. The amendments will mean that law firms cannot (read more…)