News - Chinese Human Rights DefendersChinese Human Rights Defenders

[CHRB] Detained Activists Face Worsening Health & Mistreatment, Denied Access to Lawyers, and More (10/10-10/16, 2013)

October 17, 2013 Comments Off

Detained Hubei activist Liu Jiacai (刘家财) appears to be dealing with worsening health, according to his lawyer. Liu’s wife said that her husband has a heart problem, and she has not been able to visit him. In Chibi City, activist Yuan Fengchu (袁奉初, aka Yuan Bing, 袁兵) was allowed to (read more…)

[CHRB] Under Criminal Detention: Labor Activist, Buddhist Priest & Rights Lawyers (5/16-22, 2014)

May 22, 2014 Comments Off

Wu Guijun (吴贵军), a labor organizer in Guangdong Province, has been detained for one year a charge of “gathering a crowd to disrupt social order,” and been tried four times without a verdict.Five individuals have been detained in Hubei Province for “inciting subversion of state power,” including Sheng Guan (圣观), (read more…)

CHRD Suggestions for UPR Recommendations to China

October 15, 2013 Comments Off

(Chinese Human Rights Defenders, October 15, 2013) – In the run-up to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on China at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on October 22, 2013, CHRD suggests governments of UN member states participating in the review make robust, specific, and relevant recommendations to China.

[CHRB] New Government Rules to Punish Journalists for Disclosing “State Secrets,” Detained Lawyer Repeatedly Denied Access to Lawyer

July 7, 2014 Comments Off

A court has sent Christian pastor Zhang Shaojie (张少杰) to prison for 12 years, an indication of the CCP’s uneasiness with rights activism connected to religious institutions. Rights lawyer Chang Boyang (常柏阳) was formally arrested on July 3 on a charge of “illegal business activity,” apparently due to his work (read more…)

[CHRB] Violence & Black Jail Await Petitioners; RTL Victim Seeking Justice Stonewalled (12/5-12/11, 2013)

December 12, 2013 Comments Off

Local authorities detained 73-year-old petitioner Xu Wanying (许万英) in a “black jail” in Hubei Province, after she was intercepted. During her detention, the head of the local women’s association group violently assaulted Xu. In a separate incident, Wang Defang (王德芳) and Shi Wenxuan (时文选) were badly beaten by two unidentified (read more…)

Charter 08’s Legacy & China’s Failure to Honor Human Rights Obligations

December 9, 2013 Comments Off

December 10, 2013, marked the 5th anniversary of Charter 08—a manifesto on human rights and democracy in China—and the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, that day of great inspiration was marred because the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波), continued to languish in (read more…)

[CHRB] Organizer of Farmers Detained for “Subversion of State Power”; Harassment, Violence against Lawyers, and more (11/28-12/4, 2013)

December 5, 2013 Comments Off

Police seized rural activist Zhao Fengsheng (赵枫生) on November 28 in Hunan Province on charges of “subversion of state power.” In Jiangxi, the long-delayed and suspended trial of activists Liu Ping (刘萍), Wei Zhongping (魏忠平), and Li Sihua (李思华) resumed on December 3. On the next day, the scene outside (read more…)

[CHRB] Detained Activists Denied Access to Lawyers or Bail Request, Latest Detention (10/3-10/9, 2013)

October 11, 2013 Comments Off

Police have not permitted Guangzhou-based activist Guo Feixiong (郭飞雄, aka Yang Maodong, 杨茂东) to meet his lawyers since he was criminally detained two months ago. In Anhui Province, activist Zhou Weilin (周维林) was denied his release on bail. In Beijing, police seized Hu Daliao (胡大料), a petitioner-turned-activist from Henan Province, (read more…)

Alert: More Lawyers & Activists Criminally Detained or Disappeared in Run-up to Tiananmen Anniversary

May 19, 2014 Comments Off

More lawyers and activists have been detained or disappeared in the run-up the June Fourth anniversary. Prominent human rights lawyers Tang Jingling (唐荆陵) and Liu Shihui (刘士辉) have been criminally detained. In Guangzhou, activist Wang Qingying (王清营) has been criminally detained as well, while activist Yuan Xinting (袁新亭), who has (read more…)

China Must Stop Excluding Civil Society From UN Human Rights Review

October 7, 2013 Comments Off

Two weeks before China undergoes a UN human rights review known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Beijing police once again suppressed demonstrations demanding civil society’s role in national preparations for UPR. On October 3 and 4, police forcibly removed more than a dozen activists who had returned to demonstrate (read more…)

[CHRB] Tiananmen Anniversary Crackdown: Detainees Deprived of Medicine, More Taken Into Custody (5/9-15, 2014)

May 15, 2014 Comments Off

Two participants in a June Fourth commemorative seminar being detained in Beijing are not getting proper medical care, according to lawyers who visited them on May 8. Human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强) is not receiving “ideal” treatment for his diabetes, while retired scholar Xu Youyu (徐友渔) has grown very (read more…)

[CHRB] Missing Activist Cao Shunli Reportedly Detained on Order of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (9/26-10/2, 2013)

October 3, 2013 Comments Off

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reportedly ordered national security officers to prevent activist Cao Shunli (曹顺利) from leaving China to attend a training in Geneva on UN human rights mechanisms and then criminally detain her. Last November, the MFA had refused Cao and others’ request for disclosure related to (read more…)