HRIC Weekly Brief
March 4, 2025
Top News 头条
On February 27, Thailand deported 40 Uyghur asylum seekers who had been held for 10 years in a Bangkok detention center to Xinjiang, China, despite warnings from rights groups that they could face possible torture and even death. This is the first time Thailand has deported Uyghurs since 2015. This move drew criticism from civil society and governments all over the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: “This violates the principle of non-refoulement for which there is a complete prohibition in cases where there is a real risk of torture, ill-treatment, or other irreparable harm upon their return.”
Also: a data leak from state-affiliated private sector security firm TopSec (北京天融) reveals not only web content monitoring services for state censorship operations, but also web monitoring services provided to a state-owned enterprise for the purpose of managing fallout around a corruption scandal.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
The ‘Leniency’ Trap: How China’s Plea System Gives Prosecutors More Power: China’s “plea leniency” system, introduced in 2018, is now used to resolve over 90% of cases. Experts say that suspects are frequently coerced into signing deals, and that it has been used to go after entrepreneurs’ assets.
What to watch for at China’s major political event this week: The third session of the 14th National People’s Congress, which starts tomorrow, is expected to reveal the Chinese government’s 2026 to 2030 plan for economic growth and diplomacy.
Related: NPC Calendar: March 2025: On March 4, the NPC session will convene for a preparatory meeting to select members of the Presidium, an ad hoc body of around 180 members that will preside over the session, and to finalize the session’s agenda.
Hong Kong lawmakers support new union laws, citing labour groups’ political acts during 2019 protests: Suggested amendments would bar anyone convicted of national security offences from serving in labor unions.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
Chinese hackers siphoned off Belgian state security emails, report says: In what is considered the largest ever breach of the Belgian state security services, a cyberespionage service likely working for the Chinese state exploited a vulnerability in the email system of a U.S. software supplier that was being used by Belgian intelligence as well as the Belgian Pipeline Organisation, which monitors pipelines in the North Sea.
Netizen Voices on Mass Censorship of Beijing’s $6.5 Million Annual Support for Olympian Eileen Gu: “Why Are They So Afraid the Taxpayers Will Find Out?”: Internet users responded to the rapid censorship of all discussion around Gu with comments on avoiding the censors and “waiting for this post to be deleted.”
Cybersecurity with Chinese characteristics: Digital governance in the Indo-Pacific and the Taiwanese alternative: A new report by ARTICLE 19 analyzes Chinese influence over cybersecurity norms through Digital Silk Road-related cooperation in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam and how its digital development initiatives are aggressively integrating its governance norms in ways that pose profound challenges to international human rights, internet freedom, and democratic institutions.
Apple’s Developer service comes to China’s WeChat: Amid falling iPhone sales in China and as part of its efforts to further invest in the Chinese market, Apple announced this week that it will be bringing its Apple Developer service to China’s WeChat app.
China's Baidu to launch upgraded AI Ernie model in mid-March, source says: Baidu’s next generation of its artificial intelligence model Ernie will see improved capabilities in areas such as reasoning and will also feature enhanced multimodal capabilities.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
'I've finally spoken to my mum after seven years': Londoner Aziz Isa Elkun told the BBC that he was finally able to speak to his 82-year-old mother on a government-monitored call in April 2024 for the first time since she was detained in a camp in Xinjiang province in 2018.
The Chinese migrants hoping for a new life in Germany: While Germany has a reputation among Chinese migrants as a safe haven for refugees, chances of successfully claiming asylum are slim even compared to neighboring countries such as France. According to the Guardian, the numbers “reflect the uncertainty about how to handle this new type of refugee–people who are fleeing the iron grip of the Chinese Communist party, rather than the instability and physical threats of war.”
Uyghur linguist's presentation dropped at UNESCO summit, igniting fears of Beijing's sway: A language technology conference at the UNESCO headquarters in Parish has come under scrutiny after organizers abruptly canceled a scheduled presentation by Abduweli Ayup, a prominent Uyghur linguist and human rights advocate, just hours before it was scheduled to take place.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
Son of Chinese journalist jailed for espionage calls for his father’s release: Dong Yuyu, former senior editor at Guangming Daily, a Communist Party-run newspaper that was known for being more liberal than other state-run outlets, was arrested in February 2022. His son described the arrest as a “press freedom issue” and says Dong plans to appeal his convictions.
Kazakhstan man detained, ‘drugged’ in China had planned to petition in Beijing: Kazakhstan national Zhengis Zhanat said he was drugged in a restaurant, and then detained and beaten on his way to file an official complaint against the government in Beijing.
Conversations with Chinese Feminists: Despite the government’s push for young people to get married and have children, many young Chinese women remain unwilling to marry, citing misogynistic men and unrealistic beauty standards as two major factors.
Capsule Review - Everyday Democracy: Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle Against Authoritarian Culture in China: A new book by Anthony J. Spires reveals how Chinese civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations, university clubs, and professional associations that enjoy some form of government support often mimic the Chinese political system.
Languages in Tibet Struggle for Survival: Tibetan communities on the Tibetan plateau and in diaspora are struggling to preserve and protect Tibetan languages, as various structural forces continue to erode the health of their respective languages and cultures, including repressive government Sinicization policies.
Former Hong Kong lawmaker gets 3 more years after being injured by mob: Lam Cheuk-ting was sentenced on Thursday for “rioting” at Yuen Long station in 2019. Lam’s main role in the events was filming the white-clad pro-China mob that attacked subway-goers, and was even injured himself.
Case of man charged with sedition under Hong Kong’s Article 23 security law adjourned to May: Chow Kim-ho, a former member of pro-democracy party League of Social Democrats, has been held in custody since his arrest last November.
International Responses 国际反应
Concern grows in Washington, Seoul about China's disinformation campaign: South Korean conservative groups have spoken up about what they view as Beijing's interference in South Korean politics and elections.
US Congress introduces bipartisan resolution condemning transnational repression against Hong Kong activists: U.S. Representatives Ami Bera and Andy Barr introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning the PRC and Hong Kong governments’ transnational repression against US-based Hong Kong and other pro-democracy activists, US citizens, and scholars.
Loved one missing in China? New guide is here to help: Amid an increased risk to foreigners of arbitrary detentions in China, Safeguard Defenders has published a new guide to help foreign victims and their family members.
Current Events 热点新闻
China’s defence ministry warns Taiwan ‘we will get you, sooner or later’: Taiwan had announced that its annual live-fire drills, the Han Kuang exercise, would expand in scope this year as part of defensive preparations to deter or one day resist an attack by China. In response, China issued a vaguely threatening statement that seemed to mirror a line in popular children’s movie “Ne Zha 2.”