HRIC Weekly Brief
December 10, 2024
Top News 头条
Today, on International Human Rights Day, we honor the inalienable rights that belong to every human being, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. It is a day to celebrate the progress which has been made globally and recommit to upholding justice, equality, and freedom. However, the CCP regime’s blatant undermining of human rights and repression of its own people is an affront to the principles of dignity, freedom, and justice that underpin the UDHR. Read HRIC’s full statement here.
Also: HRIC and other human rights groups have called for the release of journalist Zhang Zhan, who has now been imprisoned for 100 days since her re-detention for supporting activist Zhang Pancheng. Zhang Zhan was re-arrested on November 18, 2024, on charges of disrupting public order, following her release in May from a previous four-year sentence for reporting on the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
Joint Discipline Measures for Telecommunications Network Fraud and Related Violations and Crimes: Chinese authorities are rolling out stricter penalties for those involved in telecom and internet fraud. The new rules include punishments not only for those convicted of crimes, but also for those accused of activity such as trying to get around real name verification rules or helping others do so.
Legal disputes to be ‘resolved locally,’ gov’t says after Beijing intervention urged on LGBTQ court rulings: Junius Ho, a pro-Beijing lawmaker known for his anti-LGBT stance, had suggested that Beijing make an interpretation of the Basic Law.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
HRIC on Twitter/X: Spear-phishing attacks targeting Chinese human rights defenders continue to pose a threat to the activist community. Last week, for example, New Yorker journalist Jiayang Fan’s hacked Twitter/X account was used to attempt to spear-phish HRIC Executive Director Zhou Fengsuo.
Censors Remove Reflections on Democracy Inspired by Korean Crisis: Korea’s political crisis has spurred a host of commentary and reflection in China. For instance, images of Korean citizens blocking the military’s advance on the National Assembly were likened to the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.
FBI Warns iPhone And Android Users—Stop Sending Texts: Unencrypted communication, such as SMS texting, is particularly vulnerable to interception. Due to extensive CCP hacking into U.S. telecoms, the FBI has encouraged everyone to switch to encrypted messaging, emphasizing the scale of the cyberattacks.
Related: Chinese hack of global telecom providers is ‘ongoing,’ officials warn. The ongoing investigation of a major breach of global telecommunications systems linked to Chinese government-linked hacking group Salt Typhoon is likely larger in scale than previously understood.
China deletes warning that youth unemployment is tanking economy: Gao Shanwen, a top Chinese economist, had gone viral after he warned that a widespread lack of opportunities for young people was dragging down growth.
Related: Frank Speeches by Economists Gao Shanwen, Fu Peng Result in Mass Online Censorship, WeChat Bans. Both Gao and Fu’s WeChat accounts have been shut down, likely in retaliation for their frank assessments of the troubled Chinese economy.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
TikTok Ban Upheld; What About WeChat?: A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld a law that could see TikTok banned in the U.S. by January 19, 2025. But while TikTok is the focal point of this decision, WeChat poses an even greater risk in regards to the CCP’s transnational influence.
How a Criminal With Close Ties to China Became a New York Power Broker: John Chan’s influence in the Chinese diaspora swayed multiple U.S. elections, including two that resulted in losses for Taiwan-born American politicians.
Activists tell US Congress of China’s far-reaching cultural erasure: According to many activists, a campaign by the Chinese government to rewrite the cultural identity and history of minority ethnic groups and political dissidents is increasingly being waged on American shores.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
“天安门母亲”尤维洁专访：六四三十五年来保守的记忆和传承 [An interview with You Weijie, one of the “Tiananmen Mothers”: A conservative memory and heritage of June 4th over the past 35 years]: You Wenjie’s husband was killed during the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. Ever since, she and other victims’ families have tirelessly sought justice for their loved ones.
Two years on, Chinese carry 'painful' memories of COVID lockdowns: Several individuals share their vivid memories of being sealed up in their apartments, and of the wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths that ripped through the country once restrictions were lifted.
Tibetan monk in poor health after his release from prison: Rachung Gendun had served three and a half years in prison for allegedly sending donations to the Dalai Lama.
Article 23: Prisoner barred from early release after losing first legal challenge of new security law: Ma Chun-man had filed his challenge of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, after his early release from prison based on good conduct was axed based on new rules under the Article 23 National Security Law. The judge stated that legislative changes “in the execution or enforcement of a penalty affecting existing prisoners” do not violate principles against retrospective enforcement of the law.
Man jailed 10 weeks for assaulting police on Tiananmen crackdown anniv. and outside court: 24-year-old Fok Shun-yin was a frequent court visitor to observe protest-related cases.
45 jailed democrats: 3 more seek to challenge convictions and sentences in landmark subversion case: Gordon Ng, Lam Cheuk-ting and Michael Pang have separately applied to the Court of Appeal for leave to appeal, in addition to five others.
Social worker who urged police restraint during 2019 demos will not testify at retrial; verdict next March: Jackie Chen had already submitted five character witnesses, all of whom are professionals from the social welfare sector, who testified about her reputation.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
China's Global Talent Crunch: China’s international communication centers have mushroomed at the local and provincial level all over the country in 2024, to innovate and disseminate propaganda for foreign audiences, but lack enough talent to help run these centers.
Hong Kong officials learn neighborhood surveillance from China: Hong Kong officials are learning how the ruling Chinese Communist Party uses local networks of volunteers to monitor the population and target potential unrest before it happens.
International Responses 国际反应
US-China prisoner swap reunites Uyghur families as work continues to secure others' freedom: Beijing's persecution of ethnic minorities is attracting renewed international scrutiny, but international efforts are working at least.
Paraguay kicks out Chinese envoy after he urges country to cut ties with Taiwan: Xu Wei, a senior Chinese envoy to Latin America who was in Paraguay for an annual UNESCO meeting, had been expelled for allegedly interfering in Paraguay’s domestic affairs and urging it to break off ties with Taiwan.