HRIC Weekly Brief
April 15, 2025
Top News 头条
On April 15 in Chengdu, mirroring the protests of Peng Lifa and Fang Yirong, banners demanding political change were hung from an elevated bridge bearing the following messages: “without political system reform, there will be no national rejuvenation”; “the people do not need a political party with unchecked power”; and “China does not need anyone to point out the direction. Democracy is the direction.” According to Teacher Li, the protester behind this bold act shared a photo of the scene before he was forcibly disappeared. He revealed that he had spent an entire year preparing for this moment, determined that it be seen and remembered—no matter the cost. His final words before all contact was lost were: “All I wish for is democracy in China.”
In technology news, the Beijing Institute for General AI has released what it claims is China's first “Large Social Simulator,” an AI tool which “will be used to develop and train ‘social-level intelligent agents’… on the behaviour of groups and crowds for purposes of ‘social governance,’ ‘population policy’…and ‘emergency management’.” The Simulator appears to have been tested in a section of Wuhan last year.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
Why Did China Amend Its Law Governing Delegates to People's Congresses?: Within China’s political system, delegates to the People’s Congresses avoid “sensitive” topics but advocate for their regional constituents in minor, less political ways. The new laws codify and amend a range of requirements for delegates, including explicitly mandating that delegates “uphold the CCP’s leadership and adhere to the party’s and the nation’s guiding ideologies.”
Most of protest-related, national security court cases concluded, Hong Kong’s Judiciary says: Hong Kong’s judiciary says that it has concluded 96 percent of protest-related cases and 86 percent of “national security” cases.
Australian judge Robert French becomes latest foreign judge to quit Hong Kong's Court of Appeal: French said the role of foreign judges had become “arguably cosmetic.”
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
NCSC Warns of Spyware Targeting Chinese and Taiwanese Diaspora: Two new malware variants have been discovered hidden in legitimate-looking apps, such as "TibetOne," specifically targeted at the Tibetan, Uyghur, Taiwanese, and Chinese diaspora communities.
HRIC on LinkedIn: The Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR) and state-owned NeuroTech have accelerated human trials for brain chip project Beinao No.1, planning to implant the semi-invasive wireless chip into 13 patients by the end of 2025.
How China’s model of internet censorship is getting traction in Asia: Interview with ARTICLE 19 researchers: According to Article 19’s Michael Caster, as China strikes more digital cooperation agreements around the world, “we are likely to see greater adoption of China-style AI enabled techno-authoritarianism.”
Translations: DeepSeek’s “Outstanding Results in the Field” of Public Security and Public Opinion Response: An outpouring of comments from local governments praising DeepSeek and its integration into their work, particularly for monitoring public opinion online, has led to concerns that local governments are using AI to more rapidly surveil and delete critical comments from local residents. An article on this topic was swiftly censored.
Brass Typhoon: The Chinese Hacking Group Lurking in the Shadows: Brass Typhoon, also known as APT 41, is another hacking group closely linked to the Chinese government, known for conducting surveillance on individuals and targeting the technology and gaming sectors.
Censors Dampen Online Commentary on Spiraling U.S.-China Trade War: China’s internet censors encouraged articles and comments mocking the United States, but deleted content that seriously discussed the negative impacts of the tariffs, or even the exact numbers involved.
Meta whistleblower alleges company worked with China on censorship: Sarah Wynn-Williams told Congress that Meta had “decided to provide the Chinese Communist Party with access to the data of Meta users, including that of Americans.”
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
Tibetan exile govt seeks probe into death of Tibetan Buddhist abbot in Vietnam: Tulku Hungkar Dorje reportedly died in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, after he was kidnapped from his hotel room by local and Chinese police in a joint operation. He had been hiding in Vietnam after he fled Tibet due to interrogation from the authorities for not fully complying with Beijing’s orders to “host the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama,” composing a prayer for the Dalai Lama, and not following central government policies in the schools he established for Tibetan children.
Related: Vigil, prayer and protest demand probe into death of Tibetan Buddhist leader.
Man accused of spying on Uyghurs in Sweden was exiled group’s spokesman: The World Uyghur Congress’ Chinese-language spokesman since 2004, Dilshat Reshit, was arrested in Sweden last week on suspicion of spying on the Uyghur community for years on behalf of the Chinese government. The WUC has removed Reshit from his position and warned about the “sophistication of transnational repression.”
Censored modern Chinese history resurfaces in online archive: Interview with China historian Ian Johnson: The China Unofficial Archives are an online repository aimed at making the works of Chinese historians and independent thinkers available to the broader public. According to historian Ian Johnson, the Archive focuses on works that have “proven to be important to Chinese people trying to understand their history.”
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
Hong Kong social worker Jackie Chen jailed for almost 4 years for rioting following retrial: Chen had been cleared of rioting during the 2019 protests at her initial trial in 2020, but her acquittal was successfully appealed by the government. Last week, she was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
Article 23 security law: Hong Kong man jailed for 1 year over publishing 145 seditious comments online: 57-year-old Chow Kim-ho has been sentenced to one year in prison for posting 145 comments on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads that were critical of the Chinese government in Beijing. Chow was charged with “knowingly publishing publications that had a seditious intention” under the Article 23 national security law.
Hong Kong nat. security police take in parents of wanted US-based activist Frances Hui for questioning: HK national security police took the parents of activist Frances Hui away for questioning a second time this week, as retaliation against Hui for her ongoing activism. Intimidation as collective punishment is forbidden under Geneva Convention (IV).
Hong Kong prison authorities defend trousers-only rules for female inmates, citing ‘inherent’ gender differences: Currently imprisoned human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung has challenged the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department’s gendered rules for prison uniforms, which mandate that female prisoners wear long trousers all summer while male prisoners are allowed to wear shorts. The government told the court that the rule was due to “inherent” gender differences around “privacy and decency.”
China told Hong Kong’s last major opposition party to shut down: members: “Senior members of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, the city’s last remaining major opposition party, said that Chinese officials and their proxies had warned the party to disband or face ‘serious consequences,’ including possible arrests.”
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
British MP refused entry in Hong Kong on family visit: MP Wera Hobhouse, who has spoken out about China’s human rights record in Hong Kong and Tibet, was questioned and refused entry at the Hong Kong airport when she arrived to visit her newly born grandson.
Related: UK MP refused entry to Hong Kong accuses China of ‘hidden blacklist’.
Hong Kong prison authorities make short films on jailed protesters to promote nat. sec. to young people: The Hong Kong Correctional Services Department and Education Bureau have posted two short films, based on the stories of 2019 protestors who are now imprisoned, to discourage young people from protesting and promote “law-abiding awareness.”
International Responses 国际反应
US House committee passes Uyghur Policy Act, again: For the third time, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the bipartisan Uyghur Policy Act, which would require the U.S. State Department to push back against China’s silencing of Uyghur voices, protect the ethnic identity and religious freedom of the Uyghurs, and “develop a strategy to close detention facilities and political reeducation camps.”
UK could target parts of Chinese state under new foreign influence rules: The UK government is considering whether to include China, or parts of the government such as the United Front Work Department, under the “enhanced tier” of new foreign influence rules set to launch in July.