Top News 头条
A new report found that the Chinese government has made extensive use of its membership in UN human rights bodies to deter and prevent independent NGOs and human rights defenders from engaging with the UN, and to retaliate against those who do so. This report by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), ‘A healthy society should have more than one voice’, documents China’s sustained efforts since 2018 to restrict the space for independent civil society within the UN human rights system, including by increasing the presence of Chinese GONGOs (Government-Organized Non-Governmental Organizations). Delegates and activists have also started to self-censor as a result. Fearing retribution from the Chinese government against their families in mainland China and Hong Kong, many were no longer willing to set foot inside the UN or its grounds.
Law & Policy 法律与政策
2024 Annual Report on Lawyers’ Rights in China Launched by Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers: This new report from the New York-based public interest organization Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers (CSCL) offers a comprehensive review of the most common rights violations faced by Chinese lawyers in civil, administrative, and criminal cases throughout 2024.
Related: 《2024中国律师权益报告》发布：官派律师“占坑”成灾 “刨坟式辩护”反击滥权 ["2024 China Lawyers' Rights Report" released: state-appointed lawyers used to block defense rights; "grave-digging defense" fights back against abuse of power].
Delaying Retirement via Procedural Shortcut: The Fragile Promises of China’s Lawmaking Reforms: Authors Changhao Wei and Taige Hu discuss the NPC Standing Committee’s failure to observe its typical legislative process before enacting China’s historic retirement-age reforms in September 2024.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
China’s DeepSeek transferred South Korean user info overseas: Seoul regulator: According to South Korea’s data protection watchdog Personal Information Protection Commission, DeepSeek transferred Korean users’ personal information to companies in China and the United States without proper consent during its brief operation in the country.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
Two Foreign Nationals Arrested in Serbia for Directing Interstate Stalking and Harassment Scheme Targeting Los Angeles-Based Critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping: Chinese citizen Cui Guanghai and UK citizen John Miller were arrested in Serbia on suspicion of coordinating and directing a conspiracy to harass, intimidate, and threaten a Los Angeles resident who had been publicly critical of President Xi Jinping.
Sinophone literature outside of China: Interview with writer Zhang Lijia: Writer Zhang Lijia discusses the media and culture contributions of the Chinese diaspora. She says: “Writing for an international audience allows me to bypass the constraints of China’s strict censorship, which has long stifled creative expression. In fact, I believe this censorship is one of the key reasons why China’s literary scene isn’t as vibrant or dynamic as it could be.”
Threatened by transnational repression, Hong Kong exile media outlets aim to preserve press freedom: Many of these exiled media outlets operate on social media platforms, with a number of them adopting the independent media organizational model, publishing political commentaries that are likely to be flagged as seditious in Hong Kong and the mainland.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
China detains Tibetans for sharing photos of late Buddhist leader: Officials have placed the monastery of Tulku Hungkar Dorje under round-the-clock police surveillance, conducting random inspections of locals’ phones to curb information sharing about his death. Tulku Hungkar Dorje, who had been missing for over eight months, had fled to Vietnam but was arrested in a joint operation by Vietnamese police and Chinese government agents.
Related: Tibetan Buddhist leader secretly cremated in Vietnam, sources say.
The story of one of Buddhism’s most revered figures, long missing, explained: Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was disappeared by the Chinese authorities as a child almost thirty years ago, turned 36 last week. Days before his disappearance, the Dalai Lama had named him the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest spiritual leader in the largest sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
Independent Hong Kong media outlet Channel C halts operations after arrest, owes HK$230k in pension contributions: Last week, a director of Channel C’s parent company was arrested for alleged loan fraud. Channel C had been founded by a small group of former Apple Daily employees in July 2021, following the closure of the Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper.
Court lets Cardinal Zen leave Hong Kong for pope’s funeral after passport earlier confiscated over security law arrest: Hong Kong authorities had confiscated Zen’s passport after his initial arrest in 2022 on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces under the National Security Law, though he does not currently face charges under the legislation.
Hong Kong press club survey finds 65% of members say they self-censor, 33% considering leaving city over press freedom: A new survey by the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club reveals that the majority of its members said their working environment had changed for the worse over the past two years.
No alternative but to disband Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, leader says: On April 13, the party passed a motion bringing it closer to disbandment, after reports of Chinese officials warning several senior members to dissolve the party before the upcoming legislative elections.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
China forces Weibo account for gay community to drop ‘comrade’ from name: The word “comrade” is widely used by the Communist Party to address cadres, but has in recent decades also been embraced by the country’s gay community to refer to themselves.
China jails most writers in the world for sixth year in a row: According to the 2025 Freedom to Write Index, 118 authors were arrested for writing on democracy in China, criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, and promoting ethnic minority language and culture.
International Responses 国际反应
UK state energy company will not source solar panels made with slave labor from China: An amendment to a new bill will ensure that Great British Energy will not have Chinese slavery in its supply chains, specifically from the Xinjiang region.
Germany’s BASF divests shares in Xinjiang joint ventures: German chemical giant BASF announced that it has divested its shares in BASF Markor Chemical Manufacturing and Markor Meiou Chemical in Xinjiang’s Korla region, in compliance with its promises made in 2023.