News - Chinese Human Rights DefendersChinese Human Rights Defenders

[CHRB] Labor Camp Victims Jailed for Seeking Justice; Accused “Illegal Demonstrator” Testifies to Torture in Court Trial (June 28 – July 3, 2014)

June 30, 2013 Comments Off

Eight women once held at the notorious Masanjia Women’s Re-education through Labor camp in Liaoning Province were sentenced in mid-June to prison terms ranging from one year to 18 months in retaliation for seeking remedies for abuses they suffered. Ten more individuals have been formally arrested in the crackdown tied (read more…)

Chinese Government Must Stop Intimidating Citizens Seeking Truth About June 4, 1989

May 6, 2014 Comments Off

CHRD is alarmed by reports that Beijing police have summoned intellectuals and family members of Tiananmen victims after they organized or attended a seminar on May 3 about June Fourth. It is unusual that, with still one month to go before the anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, Chinese authorities have (read more…)

[CHRB] Crackdown Underway for Commemorating 25th June Fourth (5/2-8, 2014)

May 9, 2014 Comments Off

Five dissidents and activists have been criminally detained after taking part in a seminar commemorating June Fourth held on May 3 in Beijing, while a veteran journalist who supported the 1989 pro-democracy protests also has gone under criminal detention. In Hunan Province, police also gave five-day administrative detentions to three (read more…)

China: Reverse Travesty of Justice, Free Persecuted Human Rights Defenders in Jiangxi

June 20, 2014 Comments Off

CHRD condemns the harsh punishments issued to Jiangxi activists Liu Ping (刘萍), Wei Zhongping (魏忠平), and Li Sihua (李思华) and demands their immediate release. The activists were sentenced by the Yushui County District Court in Xinyu City on June 19, over 14 months after they were first detained and more (read more…)

[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…)