News | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

China’s Problems With Torture & Impunity for Torturers

February 17, 2015 Comments Off

Torture and mistreatment of detainees is endemic in China, CHRD has reported to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT). The Chinese government has taken very few measures that are effective in combating acts of torture and instead provides impunity for alleged perpetrators of torture. CHRD raised these and other concerns (read more…)

[CHRB] 27 Members of Ethnic Miao Minority Sentenced for Protesting Death in Detention of Leader (2/6-12/2015)

February 12, 2015 Comments Off

On February 9, a Hunan court sentenced relatives and supporters of Long Baorong (龙保荣), an ethnic Miao leader and former party official imprisoned for exposing corruption, who died right after his medical release. His son-in-law, Long Xianyuan (龙贤员), received 15 years in prison while Long Xianjiang (龙贤江), the brother of (read more…)

[CHRB] Hampered Investigation Into Death in Custody; Ineffective New Rules on Lawyers’ Input in Capital Cases (1/30-2/5/2015)

February 5, 2015 Comments Off

The family of Anhui Province farmer Yang Wusi (杨五四) has called on local authorities to explain how he died in detention, suspecting that he may have been tortured to death. During his autopsy, Yang was found to have no food in his stomach, bruises on his body, a wound on (read more…)

[CHRB] Rule Without Law: Prolonged Pre-Trial Detentions of Human Rights Defenders (1/23-29, 2015)

January 29, 2015 Comments Off

During a string of crackdowns since the spring of 2013, CHRD has documented an alarming number of excessive pre-trial detentions of human rights defenders (HRDs), who were not brought in front of a judge after having been in police custody for at least eight months, and with some held for (read more…)

[CHRB] Forced Psychiatric Detention & Reprisal Against Torture Victim Seeking Justice (1/16-22/2015)

January 22, 2015 Comments Off

Chinese authorities continued to illegally use forced psychiatric detention in 2014 to silence and punish petitioners, activists, and dissidents, according to a new report by a China-based NGO. This form of illegal detention was routinely used to “maintain stability,” particularly around “politically sensitive” periods of the year. Also, authorities in (read more…)

China: Revise draft anti-terrorism law to protect freedom of expression, association and dissent

January 22, 2015 Comments Off

(Geneva) – Chinese authorities should withdraw or substantially revise a proposed counter-terrorism law which could be used to further monitor, censor and criminalise the work of human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists, the International Service for Human Rights and Chinese Human Rights Defenders said in a joint statement today. ‘China’s draft Anti-Terrorism Act contains (read more…)

[CHRB] Torture & Ill-treatment of Detainees & Political Charges Returning Under Xi (1/8-15/2015)

January 15, 2015 Comments Off

Police at two detention centers in Beijing have tortured and mistreated two activists – Song Ze (宋泽, real name Song Guangqiang, 宋光强) and Xu Chongyang (徐崇阳) – arrested during the crackdown on supporters of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, CHRD sources have confirmed at least 22 cases of (read more…)

[CHRB] Special Coverage: 4 Cases of Torture in Detention (12/26/2014- 1/8/2015)

January 8, 2015 Comments Off

In view of this year’s UN Committee against Torture review of the Chinese government’s implementation of the international convention against torture, CHRD will provide focused reporting and analysis on cases of torture and related law and regulations. In this issue of CHRB, we report on four recent cases of detainees (read more…)

[CHRB] Tibetan Village Leader Dies in Custody & 3 From 2013 Crackdown Given Prison Terms (12/12-18/2014)

December 18, 2014 Comments Off

On December 12, a court in Anhui Province handed down sentences to three activists—Li Huaping (李化平), Yao Cheng (姚城), and Zhou Weilin (周伟林)—based largely on their roles in the 2013 protests advocating for the education rights of activist Zhang Lin (张林)’s daughter. Elsewhere, a village leader in the Tibet Autonomous (read more…)

[CHRB] Activists’ Trials Possible During Holidays & Proposed Amendments to China’s Criminal Law (12/4-11/2014)

December 11, 2014 Comments Off

Five activists and lawyers seized since the spring of 2013 may face trial around Christmas, a common government tactic in recent years, intended to deflect international attention. Tibetan activist Tenzin Choedak died on December 5 in Lhasa City, two days after he was released after serving less than six years (read more…)

[CHRB] Beijing Police Detain Outspoken Intellectuals, Close 2 Independent Groups (11/21-12/4, 2014)

December 4, 2014 Comments Off

In strident moves meant to further silence government critics, Beijing authorities have shuttered the Transition Institute, an independent research group, and also the Liren Group, which runs a private school and independent libraries, while detaining several individuals affiliated with these groups as well as other independent writers. Elsewhere, over the (read more…)

Free Guo Feixiong and Sun Desheng: Cases Rife With Injustice

November 27, 2014 Comments Off

CHRD calls on Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release activists Guo Feixiong (郭飞雄) and Sun Desheng (孙德胜), who face trial at the Tianhe District People’s Court in Guangzhou on November 28. Guo and Sun took part in anti-corruption and free speech demonstrations in early 2013, and were later arrested (read more…)