News | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

Cao Shunli died five years ago. She stood up to China on human rights, and so must we

May 22, 2019 Comments Off

By Frances Eve, Deputy Director of Research Originally published in The Guardian on March 14, 2019 Five years ago today, Chinese activist Cao Shunli died in a Beijing hospital surrounded by police. Her ordeal began in September 2013, when she tried to fly to Geneva to attend a session of the (read more…)

China is committing ethnic cleansing in Xinjiang – it’s time for the world to stand up

May 22, 2019 Comments Off

By Frances Eve, Deputy Director of Research Originally published in The Guardian on November 3, 2018 Now is the time to act on China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang. China’s efforts to destroy the ethnic Uighur identity through mass internment camps and militarised surveillance must be raised loudly and clearly condemned during a UN human rights (read more…)

The US withdrawal from the UNHRC is perfect for Xi Jinping and China

May 22, 2019 Comments Off

Quitting the UNHRC won’t make it disappear. It opens a leadership vacancy that China is happy to fill. The Trump administration has stepped back to allow China the space to dominate the council unchallenged and advance its agenda to redefine human rights after the “China model.”

China Detains Several Social Economic Rights Defenders Days After UN Rights Review Ends

March 26, 2019 Comments Off

Several human rights defenders working on socio-economic rights issues have been detained just days after the close of China’s 3rdUniversal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva on March 15 during the 40th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). The timing of the detentions indicates that authorities waited until after the (read more…)

Ji Sizun Named 2019 Recipient of Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders

March 14, 2019 Comments Off

Human rights defender Ji Sizun (纪斯尊) is the winner of the fifth Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders. The decision to give this award to Mr. Ji recognizes the long-standing “barefoot lawyer” for his contribution in promoting legal rights and education at the grassroots level in China.

5 Years After Death in Custody of Cao Shunli, HRDs in China Continue to Face Same Pattern of Abuse

March 6, 2019 Comments Off

The Chinese government has taken no steps to investigate and prosecute any official responsible for the deadly reprisal against Cao Shunli for her cooperation with the United Nations, after she died five years ago on March 14, 2014.

《在“无权区”捍卫人权》: 中国人权捍卫者状况年度报告（2018）

February 25, 2019 Comments Off

国际民间机构“中国人权捍卫者网络”（CHRD）发布的《2018年年度人权捍卫者状况报告：在“无权区”捍卫人权》表明，中国人权捍卫者在极度萎缩的公民空间中仍然做出了卓越的努力去促进和保护人权。

CHRD releases “Defending Rights in a ‘No Rights Zone'”: Annual Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in China (2018)

February 21, 2019 Comments Off

Chinese human rights defenders made remarkable strides in promoting and protecting human rights under hostile conditions in drastically shrunken civic space, says CHRD in its 2018 annual report.

Join Statement calling for Xinjiang Resolution at the United Nation Human Rights Council

February 7, 2019 Comments Off

We, a diverse set of human rights and civil society organizations, urge the United Nations Human Rights Council to urgently adopt a resolution establishing an international fact-finding mission to investigate credible allegations that up to one million Turkic Muslims are being arbitrarily detained in “political education” camps across Xinjiang, a (read more…)

At upcoming session of Human Rights Council, States should pass resolution to address human rights violations in the People’s Republic of China

January 30, 2019 Comments Off

The past year was marked by vitally important monitoring and review of China’s human rights situation by the United Nations human rights system. The upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council provides a key opportunity to reinforce the issues raised over the last year, and express collective concern about (read more…)

China: Release Liu Feiyue and Decriminalize Human Rights Activism

January 29, 2019 Comments Off

A Chinese court sentenced Liu Feiyue, director of the NGO Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch, to 5 years in prison on “inciting subversion of state power” charge today, following an August trial.

Free Wang Quanzhang: Prison Sentence a Gross Injustice & Blatant Political Persecution of a Human Rights Lawyer

January 28, 2019 Comments Off

The Chinese government must release Wang Quanzhang immediately and unconditionally, end the harassment of his family, compensate Wang and his family for the harm done to them.