Slide Show | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

“A Healthy Society Should Not Have Just One Voice” – China Must End Crackdown on Online Speech in Response to COVID-19

April 1, 2020 Comments Off

(Chinese Human Rights Defenders—April 1, 2020) The Chinese government must release detained citizen journalists and outspoken critics, and end the new crackdown on free expression online since the start of COVID-19 outbreak. Under the guise of fighting the novel coronavirus, authorities in China have escalated suppression online by blocking independent (read more…)

Winners Named for the 2020 Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders

March 13, 2020 Comments Off

(Chinese Human Rights Defenders—March 13, 2020) Human rights defenders Zhang Jianping and Wang Heying win the sixth Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders. The decision to give this year’s award to both Mr. Zhang and Ms. Wang recognizes their long-standing grassroots activism to promote protection of human rights (read more…)

Defending Human Rights in the Era of Dystopia: The Situation of Defenders in China (2019)

February 12, 2020 Comments Off

In 2019, human rights defenders in China and its peripheral regions braved cruel punishment in challenging the Chinese government’s human rights abuses and draconian laws. They refused to back down from the rising totalitarian rule of President Xi Jinping.

China: Protect Human Rights While Combatting Coronavirus Outbreak

January 31, 2020 Comments Off

(Chinese Human Rights Defenders—January 31, 2020) The Chinese government must respect human rights in its response to the 2019-nCoV coronavirus outbreak, including lifting censorship, ceasing police intimidation and arbitrary detention, easing indiscriminate restrictions on movement, and countering social discrimination against Wuhan and Hubei Province residents. Human rights must not be (read more…)

China: Release Human Rights Lawyer Chang Weiping & End the Current Round of Arrests

January 15, 2020 Comments Off

(Chinese Human Rights Defenders—January 15, 2020) In an indication of escalation of the December rounding-up of lawyers and activists, Chinese police detained human rights lawyer Chang Weiping in Shaanxi Province. Police told Chang’s family that he was put under residential surveillance in an unknown location on suspicion of “endangering national (read more…)

Urgent Action: China Must Release Activists/Lawyers Detained for Peaceful Assembly

January 2, 2020 Comments Off

In the last few days of 2019, Chinese police detained and summoned for questioning a dozen activists and lawyers in Fujian, Shandong, Beijing, Hebei, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. The raids appear to target individuals who attended a small, private gathering in Fujian on December 13. A similar gathering took place one (read more…)

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Condemn Systematic Violations of Fundamental Freedoms in Hong Kong & Police Violence

November 25, 2019 Comments Off

22 NGOs jointly call on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to publicly denounce the systematic violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong

China: Drop “Subversion” Charge & Release Woman Human Rights Defender Chen Jianfang

October 21, 2019 Comments Off

International human rights NGOs urge the Chinese government to drop the “subversion of state power” charge against human rights defender Chen Jianfang and release her immediately and unconditionally.

Hong Kong: Repeal Face Mask Ban & Protect Right to Peaceful Assembly

October 5, 2019 Comments Off

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam should reverse her decision to use emergency powers to introduce the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation. The use of emergency powers to bypass the legislative system to deter people from protesting sets a dangerous precedent and violates the right to peaceful assembly.

China: Order Independent Investigation into Death in Detention of Hunan Activist

September 26, 2019 Comments Off

The Chinese government must investigate allegations of torture and the death in detention of human rights activist Wang Meiyu and hold the perpetrators criminally accountable

16 NGOs Call on UN Member States to Hold China Accountable at Human Rights Council for Persecuting Rights Defenders

September 9, 2019 Comments Off

A group of NGOs have sent a letter to UN members states calling for action at the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council over the Chinese government’s jailing of many human rights defenders protecting economic, social and cultural rights, and closure of civil society organizations promoting equal protection of (read more…)

香港政府应立即停止警方暴力、进行独立调查、依法追究责任

August 22, 2019 Comments Off

(人权捍卫者—2019年8月22日) 香港警方对反送中运动抗争者的强势作为，直接威胁到香港人的集會自由、表达自由与人身安全，香港政府必须立即停止警方滥用暴力、依法追究责任。香港政府强推《逃犯条例》（又称送中条例）修法，引发香港民间一连串的反送中运动，从6月9日103万人示威游行，已逾2个月未见降温趋势。虽然香港特首林郑月娥宣布搁置修订《逃犯条例》，但对于反送中运动的五大诉求，特首林郑只回应送中条例已「寿终正寝」，但坚持不用「撤回」法律用词。许多香港民众不满港府拒绝妥协，持续走上街头进行抗争。警察以武力强势镇压、驱离抗争者、甚至有黑道人士以暴力介入、殴打伤害民众。根据不完全的报导统计，至8月15日为止，这场抗争事件总共造成748人被捕，年龄介于15至61岁间、2人失明、5人自杀、更有多人在街头上遭到不明人士砍伤。