News | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

[CHRB] Labor Activist Criminally Detained, Torture at Hangzhou Police Station (4/28-5/1/2014)

May 1, 2014 Comments Off

Police in Guangdong Province criminally detained labor activist Lin Dong (林东) on April 22 for allegedly posting information online about the strike at the Yuyuan shoe factory in Dongguan City that began on April 14. Chu Liang (初亮), a China Democracy Party member, was interrogated and tortured by police on (read more…)

Cao Shunli (曹顺利) Nominated for Martin Ennals Award 2014

April 23, 2014 Comments Off

Cao Shunli (曹顺利) Selected as One of Three Final Nominees for the Martin Ennals Award 2014. This award is selected by the International Human Rights Community (See Jury Below) and given to Human Rights Defenders who have shown deep commitment and face great personal risk. The aim of the award (read more…)

Four New Citizens’ Movement Activists Sentenced in Beijing

April 18, 2014 Comments Off

Four New Citizens’ Movement Activists Sentenced in Beijing The Haidian District People’s Court announced guilty verdicts on April 18 for lawyer Ding Jiaxi (丁家喜) as well as activists Li Wei (李蔚), Zhao Changqing (赵常青), and Zhang Baocheng (张宝成) who were all tried last week in Beijing (see report). Ding was (read more…)

[CHRB] Sentences, Trials, Arrests in Ongoing Crackdown: A CHRD Guide (4/18-4/24/2014)

April 24, 2014 Comments Off

What is the current situation of individuals, including participants in the New Citizens’ Movement, who were swept up by Chinese authorities last year in President Xi Jinping’s strident crackdown on civil society? Since March 2013, CHRD has documented the detentions of 70 people—including activists, lawyers, and other citizens—and monitored their (read more…)

[CHRB] Arrested Uyghur Scholar Ilham Tothi Suffering From Multiple Illnesses & Other News (June 20 – June 26, 2014)

June 27, 2014 Comments Off

Arrested Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti (伊力哈木土赫提) is suffering from serious and insufficiently treated illnesses while facing other forms of abuse, according to a lawyer who was finally granted a visit with him on June 26. In another case, lawyers for imprisoned Tibetan monk Karma Tsewang (堪布尕玛才旺) were denied a request (read more…)

[CHRB] Police Detain Online Whistleblowers as Judicial Interpretation Takes Effect (9/20-25, 2013)

September 26, 2013 Comments Off

Two individuals, including a high school student, Yang Hui (杨辉), were recently detained for using social media to question police handling of a man’s death. The detentions are the first known applied instances of a judicial interpretation on “spreading rumors” and “defamation” online that took effect on September 10. Also, (read more…)

China: Halt Imminent Execution of Xia Junfeng

September 24, 2013 Comments Off

The Chinese government must halt the imminent execution of Mr. Xia Junfeng (夏俊峰), a street vendor who was convicted of “intentional homicide” and sentenced to death for killing two city management officers in 2009. Information received by CHRD indicates that China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) is likely to announce on (read more…)

[CHRB] Two Activists Sentenced After One Year in Detention (9/12-19, 2013)

September 18, 2013 Comments Off

A court in Shanghai has sentenced activists Wang Kouma (王扣玛) and Wei Qin (魏勤) to prison on charges of “creating a disturbance” in apparent retaliation for their rights activities and petitioning. Police put many activists under surveillance at home to prevent them from attending the sentencing, and also blocked foreign (read more…)

[CHRB] New Allegations of Torture, Lawyer for a Political Prisoner Threatened with Disbarment (11/21-11/27, 2013)

November 28, 2013 Comments Off

Petitioner Yin Huimin (尹慧敏) was released on November 23, after being administratively detained for nine days and tortured by Shanghai police. Yin recounted torture and mistreatment during her detention, including being shackled and hung from an iron railing for 48 hours. During this period, the 49-year-old Yin was deprived of (read more…)

Chinese Authorities Block Two Activists From Attending Training on UN Human Rights Mechanisms, Disappear One

September 17, 2013 Comments Off

Authorities in China have stopped two activists from boarding their flights for a training on UN human rights mechanisms in Geneva, and one of them has since been disappeared after being taken away by security agents. These actions are further indication that the Chinese government seems to be on high (read more…)

[CHRB] Lawyers Warn Against Other Forms of Arbitrary Detention to Replace RTL (11/14-11/20, 2013)

November 21, 2013 Comments Off

The Chinese Lawyers for the Protection of Human Rights issued a statement highlighting six major recommendations for the effective abolition of Re-education Through Labor (RTL) system, after the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced its decision to abolish it at the end of its Third Plenum on (read more…)

[CHRB] Judicial Authorities Lend Support to Government Crackdown on Online Expression (9/6-11, 2013)

September 12, 2013 Comments Off

On September 9, China’s highest judicial authorities issued an interpretation of the criminal code, specifying conditions under which “spreading rumors” and “defamation” online would be subjected to criminal punishment. Outlining criteria that appears arbitrary and open to abuse, the authorities stated that any “rumor-spreading” or “defaming” online post, if it (read more…)