Top News 头条
Chinese hacking is top news once again this week: on Monday, the United States revealed an indictment charging seven alleged hackers in connection with a 14-year hacking campaign as part of hacking group Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31) that targeted elected officials, industry representatives, democracy activists, academics, and more. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom announced that millions of voters’ data had been accessed by China, in addition to specifically targeted MPs, and New Zealand said it had “established links between a Chinese state-sponsored actor known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40) and malicious cyber activity targeting [its] parliamentary services and parliamentary counsel office in 2021.” In response to these revelations, the US and UK governments have issued sanctions on Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science & Technology Co., a front company for Chinese hacking operations under APT31 run by the Ministry of State Security.
Last week, the rush enactment of Hong Kong’s Article 23 national security law sent shockwaves through the international community. Overseas, protests erupted as hundreds of Hong Kongers who have fled the city took to the streets to call for freedom, and Hong Kong activists in exile said they would continue to fight. A coalition of 89 international parliamentarians issued a statement condemning the bill, and some countries, including Australia, the UK, and Taiwan, have issued travel warnings to their citizens regarding “increased risk” in the aftermath of Article 23. However, the risk for those inside Hong Kong to speak out is high: even just reposting overseas criticism of the law could be enough to be charged with “sedition,” says justice minister Paul Lam. Such statements lend credence to human rights groups’ concerns that the bill is meant to create a chilling effect on free speech. Indeed, while many Hong Kongers are deeply unhappy with the direction the city is going, they are also forced to hide from overzealous enforcement and a paranoid government.
HRIC strongly condemns the passage of Article 23, and issued a statement highlighting its rights-restricting nature.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
Pleas and Appeals: A viral video of a woman—assumed by most to be a petitioner, someone who is attempting to bring a grievance to the government—crying in front of a shrine to Bao Qingtian, a Song Dynasty official, has drawn attention to the plight of petitioners in China.
China plans new rules on market access, data flows: Premier Li Qiang has announced that China intends to roll out new legislation on cross-border data flows this year, in an effort to develop its “data economy.”
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
Weibo introduces an AI ‘Comment Robot’ to boost engagement: Social media platform Weibo recently introduced an AI Chatbot which automatically comments on users’ posts to encourage interaction. Despite serious privacy concerns, Weibo has yet to clarify how users’ personal data or interactions with the bot will be used. Many users find the bot “extremely creepy.”
Chinese censors remove video showing off Tiananmen massacre medal: After a Chinese woman posted a video proudly showing a “defender of the capital” medal given to her father for his role in carrying out the massacre at Tiananmen Square, some commenters responded critically. Government censors rapidly removed the video, which goes against the official narrative denying that the massacre ever occurred.
Taiwan aims to build global platform to counter disinformation: In January, Taiwan created a Cognitive Warfare Research Center that aims to build a “scalable” global platform to combat online disinformation and other forms of cyber warfare.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
HRIC Executive Director Speaks at Opening of "Forbidden Art" Exhibit: Last week, HRIC Executive Director Fengsuo Zhou visited the European Parliament to speak at the opening of “Forbidden Art,” an exhibition of banned artworks from China and Hong Kong, where he called on the EU to bolster its support for Chinese dissidents abroad.
Tribute to deceased Chinese dissident exposes fractures at UN rights body: On Friday, a Chinese human rights defender held a moment of silence at a UN Human Rights Council meeting in honor of Cao Shunli, an activist who died due to withheld medical treatment at the hands of the Chinese authorities ten years ago. China attempted to halt the tribute, but was rebuffed.
Related: China fails in disrupting tribute at UN to Cao Shunli, ten years after her death in custody.
Threats, fear and surveillance: how Beijing targets students in the UK who criticise regime: Young Chinese students and recent migrants in the UK describe being followed, experiencing targeted harassment, and even receiving threats to family members over their participation in political activities.
‘Insane’: Xi’s call for ethnic Chinese to tell Beijing’s story stirs anger: The CCP has long tried to use ethnic Chinese living overseas as a conduit for spreading their own influence by appealing to their heritage and loyalty. While a recent case in Singapore highlights the effectiveness of the strategy, many find the appeal to blind racial and ethnic unity deeply distasteful.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
A Prolonged 709: The Perseverance and Resilience of Li Yuhan, the “Lawyer’s Lawyer”: On March 24, human rights lawyer Li Yuhan was finally released after six and a half years of imprisonment for her work diligently representing Wang Yu, a fellow human rights lawyer, during the 709 Crackdown. In honor of her work and to celebrate her release, HRIC has published an English translation of an article on Li Yuhan’s life.
Related: Li Yuhan, the ‘big sister' of human rights lawyers, is free again.
A Chinese pastor is released after 7 years in prison, only to find himself unable to get an ID: The Reverend John Sanqiang Cao was released from prison in early March, after seven years imprisonment for “organizing others to illegally cross the border,” a charge typically leveled at traffickers but in this case used to target him for organizing Christian mission trips from China to Myanmar. In his absence, the authorities removed him from his mother’s “hukou,” or residency registration document, rendering him unable to apply for any form of ID in China.
Uyghur publisher jailed for books on Uyghur independence, identity: Erkin Emet, a Uyghur publisher who published and disseminated books on Uyghur culture and persecution, has been missing since 2018. Now, sources have confirmed that he was arrested for “separatism” as part of crackdown on writers and intellectuals and is in prison for publishing sensitive books.
Hong Kong trans activist launches legal challenge over delay to changing gender marker on ID card despite court win: More than a year ago, transgender activist Henry Tse won a legal battle over changing the gender marker on his identification card, which formerly had required full sex reassignment surgery. However, despite the ruling, the Hong Kong government has yet to grant Tse a corrected ID card. Tse has filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination in response.
Hong Kong man pleads guilty to posting ‘seditious’ statements on online forum: A Hong Kong man, Tsang Kwok-hei, pleaded guilty to posting 36 “seditious messages” on an online forum, including referring to the song “Glory to Hong Kong” as the city’s national anthem, and now awaits sentencing. The maximum penalty has been raised from two years to seven under the new Article 23 national security law.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
Blank Slates for the Two Sessions: Although China has declared its “openness” to foreign journalists, the crowds at the Two Sessions were a clear indicator that experienced journalists and open questioning are not welcome, while newer journalists from Chinese ally states are preferred.
Related: A Farewell to Mic-Snatching, Arm-Grabbing, Bathroom-Barricading Journalists.