News - Chinese Human Rights DefendersChinese Human Rights Defenders

[CHRB] Hundreds Face Harassment Around Youth Olympics in Nanjing, 21 Buddhists Detained in Guangdong (8/22-28/2014)

August 28, 2014 Comments Off

The Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympics closed on August 28, but at least 300 activists in Nanjing and nearby cities have faced intensified intimidation and harassment as a result of the games. Guangdong police criminally detained 21 Buddhists during a series of raids targeting the Huazang group, including the founder (read more…)

[CHRB] Show Trials of Anti-Corruption Activists Held, Suspended (1/17-1/30/14)

January 30, 2014 Comments Off

Beijing courts recently held proceedings for several activists with ties to the “New Citizens’ Movement.” Legal advocate Xu Zhiyong (许志永) was given a four-year sentence on January 26, while activist Yuan Dong (袁冬) was sentenced to 18 months three days later. Trials for other anti-corruption campaigners were suspended.

[CHRB] Tibetan Smuggles Out Prisoner List, Lawyers Call for Investigation Into Church Demolition (8/15-21/2014)

August 21, 2014 Comments Off

Tibetan monk Gonpo Trinley smuggled information on 45 Tibetan prisoners in Sichuan Province out of China after fleeing to India this month, and 10 of those listed are still incarcerated. On August 18, a group of 14 lawyers has released a legal opinion about the mistreatment of several members of (read more…)

Travesty of Justice – Beijing’s Show Trials of Civil Society Leaders Xu Zhiyong, Zhao Changqing, & Others

January 23, 2014 Comments Off

A Beijing court held a closed door trial of prominent Chinese civil society leader, Xu Zhiyong (许志永). Seized in the Crackdown on Assembly, Association, and Expression, Xu along with dozens of activists, lawyers, and citizen journalists have been detained for demanding top officials disclose their wealth.

[CHRB] Uighur Scholar Seized, Pre-trial Hearing Set for Legal Advocate Xu Zhiyong (1/10-1/16/14)

January 16, 2014 Comments Off

Around 3pm on January 15, several dozens of police officers from Beijing and Xinjiang took away Ilham Tohti (伊力哈木土赫提), an outspoken Uighur professor at the Central National Minorities University, from his residence in Beijing and searched his apartment for more than 6 hours. Also, pre-trial proceedings are scheduled to take (read more…)

[CHRB] Details of Torture Emerge, Official Order Blocks Detainees’ Access to Lawyers (8/7-14/2014)

August 14, 2014 Comments Off

A group of lawyers disclosed details of the torture of their clients, former party officials held in Hunan under shuanggui. Meanwhile, authorities in a Heilongjiang city apparently issued an ordinance barring Beijing-based lawyers from visiting clients in the city’s detention facilities. Beijing police have reportedly arrested two petitioners-turned-activists, Mr. Guo (read more…)

[CHRB] Jailed Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Released Into Control by Authorities (7/30-8/7/2014)

August 7, 2014 Comments Off

Authorities released human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng (高智晟) on August 7 from a Xinjiang prison, but Gao is apparently not free. He appeared to be accompanied by Chinese security personnel and barred from speaking on the phone to family so far. In Henan, police seized dozens of the supporters on (read more…)

[CHRB] Guangdong Activists Seized for Hunger Strike, Lawyer Also Detained (1/3-1/9/2014)

January 9, 2014 Comments Off

Police in Guangzhou detained five activists on January 4 for taking part in a hunger strike organized to mark 25 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre. The detainees are all involved in the so-called “Southern Street Movement,” a loose network of activists in Guangdong Province. Police also took into custody (read more…)

[CHRB] Accused Murder Suspects Severely Beaten; Several Activists’ Trials Beginning

July 30, 2014 Comments Off

Henan petitioner Zhang Xiaoyu (张小玉) and her husband, Xu Youchen (许有臣), were severely beaten by police after being detained on suspicion of killing a policeman. A lawyer who was able to meet the couple has confirmed that Zhang has nearly lost her eyesight as a result of the brutal assault, (read more…)

[CHRB] Another Long Sentence for Detainee From 2013 Crackdown; 1,600 Cases of Arbitrary Detention & Torture Tracked Since 2012

July 24, 2014 Comments Off

Yunnan-based activist Dong Rubin (董如彬), also known as Bian Min (边民), was sentenced in Yunnan Province to six-and-a-half years in prison on charges of “creating a disturbance” and “illegal business operations” on July 23. Dong’s sentence matches the longest yet for anyone detained during last year’s crackdown on peaceful assembly, (read more…)

[CHRB] University Student Criminally Detained for June Fourth Tweet (6/6-12/2014)

June 12, 2014 Comments Off

Individuals continue to be detained after June 4. Prominent human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强) was denied medical bail on June 9. University student Zhao Huaxu (赵华旭) was criminally detained after posting on twitter an article relating to June Fourth. On May 31, Yin Zheng’an (尹正安), a longtime labor activist (read more…)

[CHRB] Arrest and Detentions in Xinjiang, Another “Black Jail” Uncovered in Beijing (11/1-7, 2013)

November 8, 2013 Comments Off

After having disappeared for twelve weeks, activist Zhao Haitong (赵海通) of Xinjiang has resurfaced, with his family learning that he was formally arrested on September 12 on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power.” Currently held at Urumqi City Liudaowan Detention Center, Zhao went missing in mid-August in the process (read more…)