In the Press | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

The US is accused of watering down a human rights report for the sake of politics and trade

August 10, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by Quartz on August 4, 2015 An annual human rights report issued by the United States is being watered down by US diplomats in the State Department, according to a report by Reuters. Recommendations to downgrade China from the second tier to the third—for countries that fail to meet or make any (read more…)

China Copied Disney’s ‘Frozen’ With Beijing Winter Olympics Song, Critics Say

August 10, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by International Business Times on August 4, 2015 Critics in China accused one of the country’s top songwriters of plagiarism Tuesday because of similarities between one of the Beijing Winter Olympics bid’s theme songs and “Let It Go,” the ubiquitous song from the Disney film “Frozen.” The allegations were (read more…)

To Host the Olympics, It Helps to Be a Bit Oppressive

August 6, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by The Wall Street Journal on July 31, 2015 Forget snow, mountains and earmuffs: The must-have for a 2022 Winter Olympic bid is a dodgy attitude about human rights. Hurray! That, at least, is how critics see it (without the “hurray”). On Friday the International Olympic Committee will pick (read more…)

Beijing chosen to host 2022 Winter Olympics, angering human rights groups

August 6, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by Los Angeles Times on July 31, 2015 Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced Friday, making the Chinese capital the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Games. Members of the IOC, meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, announced the decision after (read more…)

Winter Olympics 2022 Host Candidates China, Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Records Draw Scrutiny, Concern

August 6, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by International Business Times on July 30, 2015 Regardless of whether the International Olympic Committee selects Beijing or Almaty, Kazakhstan, Friday at the 128th IOC Congress in Malaysia, one thing is certain: A country with a terrible human rights record will host the 2022 Winter Olympics. An event that (read more…)

Beijing must not win 2022 Winter Olympics bid, say human rights activists

August 6, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by The Guardian on July 29, 2015 Xinhua, China’s official news agency, this week described its bid, which is widely seen as the favourite, as the “safe choice”. “Beijing is one of the world’s top destinations for tourism and business with world-class hotels and services,” it said in an editorial. (read more…)

Activist in Bid to Find Whereabouts of Detained Chinese Rights Lawyer Wang Yu

August 6, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by Radio Free Asia on July 27, 2015 A Chinese lawyer has filed a formal information request to police in the northern city of Tianjin in a bid to find out the whereabouts of his lawyer, detained rights attorney Wang Yu, who has been held at an unknown location since the start (read more…)

3 activists put back on trial in China

August 6, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by The New York Times on July 25, 2015 BEIJING — The trial of three prominent rights campaigners on charges of inciting subversion continued Friday in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, amid a crackdown on human-rights lawyers that has drawn international condemnation. The proceedings against the three, Tang (read more…)

Trial of Chinese Rights Campaigners on Subversion Charges Continues

July 30, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by The New York Times on July 24, 2015 BEIJING — The trial of three prominent rights campaigners, including a lawyer, on charges of inciting subversion continued on Friday in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, amid a sweeping crackdown on human rights lawyers that has drawn international condemnation. (read more…)

China Tries Activist Who Supported Hong Kong’s Democracy Movement

July 24, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by Radio Free Asia on July 23, 2015 An activist from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong stood trial on Thursday for subversion after he showed online support for last year’s pro-democracy Occupy Central movement in neighboring Hong Kong. Ye Xiaozheng, known online by his nickname Humian Yizhou (“A boat on the lake”), stood trial (read more…)

HK lawyers launch petition in support of China activists

July 24, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by Hong Kong Economic Journal on July 20, 2015 Hong Kong’s legal professionals have launched a global signature campaign to express support for the dozens of mainland human rights activists and lawyers who had been detained by Chinese authorities recently. At least 500 members of the local legal (read more…)

China is using televised confessions to shame detained lawyers, journalists, and activists

July 17, 2015 Comments Off

Originally published by Quartz on July 15, 2015 Over the past weekend, China’s police force began an unprecedented crackdown on human rights lawyers and others. The state media swung into action, too. On Sunday morning (July 12), national broadcaster CCTV aired a 10-minute video showing the confessions of a recently detained lawyer and two employees (read more…)