HRIC Weekly Brief
March 31, 2026
Top News 头条
Last week, on March 23, human rights lawyer Xie Yang was sentenced to five years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power,” following a secret trial in October 2025 that violated Xie’s rights under international and Chinese law. Reportedly, his sentence only referenced several posts he had made on WeChat. Xie was arbitrarily detained in 2022 after he spoke up in defense of a young teacher who had been forcibly committed to a mental hospital. HRIC strongly condemns the unjust and illegal detention and sentencing of Xie Yang and urges the international community to show its support.
Also: Two recent cases in Hubei show a trend towards punishing individual VPN users rather than exclusively providers. According to the publicly released administrative penalty notices, two individuals were given warnings and small fines for using VPNs to access “overseas” social media.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
Amendments to Hong Kong National Security Law Allow Police To Demand Device Passwords in NatSec Probes: In addition to allowing police to demand that individuals turn over passwords, the new amendments increase exit restrictions and “stipulate that authorities can order the removal of online messages deemed to endanger national security from any electronic platform.”
Related: Hong Kong police can demand phone and computer passwords under amended national security law.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
WeChat’s OpenClaw Scales the Great Firewall; Silicon Valley Builds Off Kimi; Data Poisoning for Propaganda: Tencent’s new deployment of open source AI agent OpenClaw, called QClaw, tries to impose limits that conform with the Chinese authorities’ rules. However, when asked, it still provides information from websites which are blocked within the Great Firewall, including the BBC.
HRIC on Twitter/X: After videos of a bulldozer running people down in a market in Beijing were shared widely on social media, videos and discussion of the incident appeared to be suppressed by online censors.
China used fake LinkedIn profiles to spy on NATO, EU: security source: “The operation, allegedly orchestrated by Beijing’s state security ministry, targeted dozens of employees at the military alliance or EU organisations through fictitious accounts.”
Cyberattack on Uyghur Post and Uyghur Times Linked to China-Based Network, Reported to FBI: A major DDoS attack on Uyghur news media sites was reportedly traced back to an IP originating in Singapore and linked to Baidu, a major Chinese tech company.
Women’s Day, Minus the Women: The Cyberspace Administration of China’s “Clear and Bright” (清朗) campaign, aimed at “cleaning up” the internet by censoring negative content, specifically targeted many accounts discussing women’s issues, a broad net which included human trafficking awareness, mental health, and LGBT-related accounts.
AI Poisoning: Increasing alarm over “AI poisoning,” or manipulation of AI-provided search results, from state-run media in recent weeks reflects fears that AI will move beyond the control of the state.
China bars AI boss from leaving country after Meta takeover: After Meta announces its plans to acquire Manus, “Manus chief executive Xiao Hong was told he could not leave China while regulators review the acquisition, the Financial Times reported, while chief scientist Ji Yichao was also barred from leaving.”
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
‘They can reach me wherever’: China using financial tactics to coerce people who flee, says report: Activists who have fled Hong Kong due to the authorities’ aggressive implementation of national security laws say they continue to be targeted through a range of coercive measures, including financial pressure. Recently, UK-based activist Christopher Mung Siu-tat reported receiving letters from the Hong Kong authorities claiming he owed taxes, including for a business he had never registered.
The Campus Front for Xi’s World Vision: The Communication University of China has opened 23 Research Centers for Community with a Shared Future (RCCSFs) across five continents since 2019, a project described by Director Li Huailiang as “a new path for the international dissemination of China’s knowledge system.”
ISHR Releases Updated UN Human Rights Tools in Uyghur, Expanding Access for Uyghur Advocates: The International Service for Human Rights’ guide to the UN Special Procedures, now available in Uyghur, Tibetan, and Chinese, provides guidance for activists seeking to obtain the support of the UN Special Rapporteurs.
Hong Kong Watch urges Canadian Parliament to address transnational repression against Hong Kongers: Testimony before the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development included documented cases of transnational repression against the Hong Kong diaspora in Canada, detailing instances of “harassment, intimidation, and surveillance” for pro-democracy activities. Hong Kong Watch’s Advocacy Officer emphasized that this issue affects Canada’s democratic integrity, and urged for the closure of current legislative gaps.
UK Foreign Office publishes latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong: While stating that Hong Kong has maintained economic autonomy, this new report nevertheless notes the growing uncertainty in the region due to the expansion of national security laws, highlighting the verdict of pro-democracy activists such as Jimmy Lai, and the continuous targeting of individuals such as activist Anna Kwok’s father, Kwok Yin-sang.
Related: The Six-Monthly Report on Hong Kong 1 July To 31 December 2025.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
Dissident artist on trial in China for satirical Mao sculptures, rights group says: Artist Gao Zhen was unexpectedly tried in a one-day secret trial on March 30th for “defaming national heroes and martyrs.” Gao’s family and EU diplomats attempted to attend the trial but were barred from entering.
HRIC on Twitter/X: On March 24, Beijing-based publisher Tu Jincan was sentenced to three years and six months in prison by the Haidian District Court for “illegal business operations.” Tu has previously published works such as “A Collection of Memorial Essays for He Jiadong” and “Zhou Duo on Democracy.”
HRIC on Twitter/X: Yu Kai, director of Shandong Xiaolin Law Firm, is known for his legal activism. On March 27, he publicly accused Deng Huanli, director of the Qingdao Judicial Bureau, of corruption and abuse of power by holding up a protest sign outside his workplace. Yu Kai was then allegedly taken by police and forcibly disappeared.
HRIC on Twitter/X: In Guangdong’s Xinyi, when Chinese authorities seized land under false pretenses and without allowing for public input, residents took to the streets in protest over environmental, cultural, and health concerns, leading to clashes with the authorities.
Related: HRIC on Twitter/X. Hundreds of residents in Xinyi City took to the streets once again, chanting slogans to protest the government’s construction project. Meanwhile, a large number of fully armed riot police rushed to the scene and began beating and arresting civilians.
Hong Kong indie bookshop founder, 3 staff members granted bail after national security arrests: These four individuals have now been released on bail with charges of “knowingly selling a publication that has a seditious intention,” including a biography of pro-democracy activist, Jimmy Lai. If found guilty, they face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
3 Apple Daily firms declared ‘prohibited organisations’ after Hong Kong gov’t deregistration: Per the Hong Kong National Security Law, three companies linked to Jimmy Lai’s Apple Daily newspaper have been removed from the corporate registry. They will now be dissolved, and any person working in collaboration with them may be fined and/or imprisoned.
Venerable Ugyen Jangchub Arrested and Subjected To Beatings: Following days of Chinese police and military presence around a monastery during the funeral rites of Tulku Hungkar Dorje—whose cause of death in custody in 2025 remains unconfirmed—authorities arrested Venerable Ugyen Jangchup and allegedly issued “inhumane physical beatings.”
Ex-Hong Kong journalist who witnessed Tiananmen crackdown testifies in vigil activist’s subversion trial: Choi Shuk-fong testified that she attended commemorative vigils of the Tiananmen Square Massacre because “the trauma is still here.” The judge then denied the presentation of a picture taken by Choi of bloodied protestors, rejecting the argument that it was meant to counter the prosecution’s “biased account of the activist group’s activities.”
Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union officially dissolves after 53 years: The Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (HKPTU) once represented 90% of its profession with over 95,000 members. HKPTU’s founder, Szeto Wah, also founded the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which used to organize events in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing. Both of these organizations have now been disbanded, a common fate since the Hong Kong National Security Law took effect in 2020.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
The 2026 Freedom House report once again ranks Tibet as the least free region in the world: Tibet received a zero (0) ranking in political and civil liberties due to its lack of control over its own media, language, religion, and education, as well as the inability to establish non-governmental organizations and the prevalence of forced detention practices, among other factors. Tibet has been at the bottom of this “freedom” list since 2015.
Related: Freedom in the World 2026.
HRIC on Twitter/X: From May 1, the entire Beijing area will be designated as drone-controlled airspace. All outdoor flight activities must be applied for in advance, effectively eliminating the space for personal consumer drones in Beijing.
China sanctions Japanese lawmaker over his Taiwan ties. Japan calls the step ‘unacceptable’: As tensions remain high between the two countries, China accused a Japanese lawmaker and close ally to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of “colluding” with separatists in Taiwan and violating the one-China principle. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has stated that these sanctions are meant “to serve as a warning to others.”
International Responses 国际反应
The CCP’s new law, the “Law on Promoting National Unity and Progress,” continues to draw attention, with Tibetan human rights organizations and Japanese lawmakers issuing statements of condemnation: The international community has continued to condemn China’s new National Unity Law. Japanese lawmakers recently met with Tibetan representatives to discuss the issue.
US bans foreign-made internet routers over security concerns: Coming months after reports that Chinese made TP-Link routers were used by China-based hackers to access networks in the United States, a new rule mandates that all non-U.S. made routers must be approved by the Federal Communications Commission before they can be sold in the United States.