News - Chinese Human Rights DefendersChinese Human Rights Defenders

China: End Escalating Crackdown Criminalizing Peaceful Assembly and Free Expression

July 17, 2013 Comments Off

Xu Zhiyong, a leading activist pushing for constitutional democracy and rule-of-law reform, was criminally detained on suspicion of “gathering a crowd to disrupt public order” by Beijing police on July 16. With Xu’s detention and those of two other activists on July 12 in Beijing, China’s newest crackdown on freedom (read more…)

[CHRB] Chinese Court Set to Put Anti-Corruption Activists on Trial (7/5-11, 2013)

July 11, 2013 Comments Off

The trial of three activists from Jiangxi Province is scheduled to open on July 18, the first cases to be heard of those detained in the crackdown on anti-corruption campaigners. Liu Ping (刘萍), Li Sihua (李思华), and Wei Zhongping (魏忠平) were formally arrested on June 4 on charges of “illegal (read more…)

[CHRB] Updates on Activist Ni Yulan, Photographer Du Bin & Torture Victim Zhu Guiqin (6/28-7/4, 2013)

July 5, 2013 Comments Off

Ni Yulan (倪玉兰), a housing rights activist imprisoned in Beijing, is suffering from deteriorating illnesses, and authorities this spring rejected a request for her to be released on medical grounds. In mid-June, Ni’s daughter visited her at Beijing Women’s Prison and found that Ni’s thyroid tumor, which was detected last (read more…)

The Chinese Government Must End Reprisals Against Activists Demanding Participation in UPR

July 4, 2013 Comments Off

On July 1, Beijing public security forces swept up and detained a large number of activists who had been taking part in a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) office, as they sought a role in participating in the drafting of the country’s national human rights (read more…)

[CHRB] Activists Conduct Sit-In in Beijing, Demanding Participation in UPR (6/21-27, 2013)

June 27, 2013 Comments Off

Since June 18, a growing number of activists have staged a sit-in outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) office in Beijing, asking to meet with officials and awaiting a government reply to their requests to participate in drafting China’s national human rights report, which the Chinese government will submit (read more…)

[CHRB] More Anti-Corruption Crusaders Detained (6/13-20, 2013)

June 20, 2013 Comments Off

Five activists have been criminally detained after being seized during an anti-corruption “road trip” whose aim has been to call for the release of Beijing activists arrested for seeking disclosure of Chinese officials’ assets. On May 25, Huang Wenxun (黄文勋) and four other activists were seized in Hubei Province and (read more…)

[CHRB] Photographer Documenting Forced Labor & Tiananmen Massacre Secretly Detained (6/7-12, 2013)

June 13, 2013 Comments Off

Photographer and documentary filmmaker Du Bin (杜斌) has been held incommunicado since Beijing police seized him at his home on May 31, and is reportedly facing a charge of “illegal publishing.” Du’s detention may well be reprisal for his recent documentary on abuses in the Masanjia Women’s Re-education through Labor (read more…)

[CHRB] Authorities Delay Renewal of Licenses for Dozens of Rights Lawyers (5/31-6/6, 2013)

June 6, 2013 Comments Off

In possibly the largest-scale reprisal against Chinese human rights lawyers in years, authorities have not renewed licenses for dozens of lawyers and some law firms. Officials have provided no explanation for the delay, with the deadline for renewals from the annual review by government judiciary bureaus having passed at the (read more…)

China’s New Leaders Must Confront Hard Truths on Tiananmen

May 31, 2013 Comments Off

For nearly a quarter-century, the Chinese government has maintained an impervious approach to the truth about its 1989 military suppression against pro-democracy protests. Authorities have denied responsibility for the massacre and stonewalled public reckoning of the People’s Liberation Army’s use of force that left hundreds, if not thousands, dead and (read more…)

[CHRB] Police Restrict Movements of Activists as Tiananmen Anniversary Nears (5/24-30, 2013)

May 31, 2013 Comments Off

Days before the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, Chinese authorities have elevated repression and harassment of activists in order to control their movements and prevent any public gathering to commemorate the tragic events of 1989. Also, in the ongoing crackdown on anti-corruption campaigning, two more individuals in Beijing have (read more…)

[CHRB] Torture, Other Mistreatment by Police (5/18-23, 2013)

May 23, 2013 Comments Off

Recent reports have surfaced about torture and other mistreatment suffered by Chinese in different forms of custody. Wang Hanfei (王寒非), the jailed editor of the Hong Kong-based journal “China Special Report,” has been seriously injured from beatings—with one result being an hearing impairment—and is being forced to work very long (read more…)

[CHRB] Political Prisoners Zhu Yufu and Xie Fulin Critically Ill (5/15-17, 2013)

May 17, 2013 Comments Off

[CHRB] Political Prisoners Zhu Yufu and Xie Fulin Critically Ill Two political prisoners who have long suffered from debilitating illnesses behind bars—Hangzhou dissident Zhu Yufu (朱虞夫) and Hunan activist Xie Fulin (谢福林)—need urgent medical attention. Zhu’s current state is partly due to a spike in mistreatment over the past few (read more…)