HRIC Weekly Brief
December 24, 2024
Top News 头条
On Christmas Eve, Hong Kong national security police issued a fresh round of arrest warrants for six pro-democracy activists living in the UK and Canada for allegedly inciting secession and colluding with foreign forces, namely: activist Tony Chung, 23, the former convenor of the now-disbanded pro-independence group Studentlocalism; former district councillor Carmen Lau, 29, now an activist with the US-based NGO Hong Kong Democracy Council; Chloe Cheung, 19, an activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong; political commentator Chung Kim-wah, 64, formerly a pollster at the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute; ex-TVB actor Joseph Tay, 62, who co-founded the Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station; and YouTuber Victor Ho, 69, also based in Canada. The bounty for each person is $1 million ($128,728 USD).
The targeted activists reacted with strength and defiance in a series of statements published quickly after the announcement. Chloe Cheung, the youngest overseas Hong Kong activist targeted by the bounties to date, wrote: “Fear cannot restrain me. Suppression cannot silence me. I will wear this burden with pride and without fear.” They also emphasized the critical role that host governments must play in protecting their fundamental rights, and called on governments to actively stand up against the Hong Kong government’s egregious transnational repression. Carmen Lau called for immediate sanctions against Hong Kong human rights violators, among other measures. HRIC stands in solidarity with the targeted Hongkongers and strongly condemns the Hong Kong government’s shameless attempts to silence activists for exercising their civil rights.
Announcements
In order to promote the sustainable development of independent Chinese media and in-depth Chinese news reporting, Human Rights in China has launched the "Seeking Light" media support program, which will provide project funding support to small Chinese media organizations and independent media teams. Chinese-language media organizations may find more information and apply here.
HRIC is also recruiting interns for Summer 2025! Interested students should send their resume, a reference, work permit information, and funding status to jobs@hrichina.org. For more details, see the full posting.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
Covert Surveillance Tool "EagleMsgSpy" Enables Chinese Government Collection of Private Data: EagleMsgSpy, a sophisticated surveillance tool used by Chinese public security bureaus, can be manually installed on devices to enable access to WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram messages, calls, live audio, GPS data, and more—all without the user’s knowledge. The tool’s reliance on physical access, while limiting its deployment, suggests a focus on targeted surveillance, likely aimed at individuals deemed potential threats to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) "stability maintenance."
Chinese censors target writers in nationwide crackdown on online erotic fiction: Online fiction, including fan fiction and erotic fiction, has mushroomed in China in recent years. Now, a special task force has been cracking down on erotic online content since June, even arresting writers who post their content online.
Macau independent media outlet pulls article about security measures ahead of Xi Jinping visit: The report from online news outlet “All About Macau” was titled “Macau on alert as Xi Jinping visits tomorrow, vending machines and motorcycle parking spaces closed off, netizens laugh: ‘Every tree a soldier’,” referring to Macau’s state of hypervigilance.
Authorities arrest influential Tibetan internet entrepreneur: A recent pattern of arbitrary arrests of prominent Tibetan social media influencers and online entrepreneurs has emerged under the pretext of “cleaning up the internet environment.” One of Tibet’s most popular online influencers and philanthropists, Sonam Choedrub (who goes by the online name of Aga Gelektsang) was arrested in early December and is currently being held on vague charges.
Related: Tibetan rights activist Tsering Tso detained for 2 weeks. Tso, known for criticizing the Chinese authorities online, was recently detained for two weeks on alleged charges of “spreading false information” and “causing trouble” on social media.
US Supreme Court agrees to hear TikTok’s challenge to looming ban: The Supreme Court will hear whether the law, dubbed the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, is constitutional or violates free speech protections.
AI for All: China’s “AI Capacity Building and Inclusiveness Plan” for the Global South expands Chinese influence in a critical new field.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
Fleeing Xi’s China: following the trail of migrants trying to reach Australia through Indonesia: growing number of Chinese fleeing their home country are now choosing to go through a new high-stakes escape route, through the Indonesian archipelago to Australia via smugglers’ boats.
United Front: China's 'magic weapon' caught in a spy controversy: The United Front Work Department seeks to influence public discussions about sensitive issues ranging on Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang, and also tries to shape narratives about China in foreign media, target Chinese government critics abroad and co-opt influential overseas Chinese figures.
Chinese man charged with acting as Beijing agent in local California election: Yaoning “Mike” Sun allegedly acted as an illegal agent for Beijing while serving as the campaign manager for a Los Angeles-area politician.
Related: 中国影响力行动绕过联邦监管，瞄准美国地方官员 [Chinese influence operations bypass federal oversight, target local U.S. officials]. A new report by Foundation for Defense of Democracies shows a new influence strategy at the local and state levels in the United States, warning that this influence could threaten America's economic and national security.
Manhattan man pleads guilty to helping establish secret Chinese police station in NYC: New Yorker Chen Jinping pleaded guilty to helping China's Ministry of Public Security establish and operate a covert police station in Manhattan, believed to be one of many worldwide, which identified and targeted Chinese dissidents and human rights activists living in the United States.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
HRIC on Twitter/X: A senior lawyer from Shandong, Gao Bingfang, has been sentenced to four years in prison for so-called “false litigation” for representing migrant workers who were seeking wages. Huang Yingsheng, a former Supreme Court judge, spoke up in her defense: “Those who help the weak should not be wronged.”
Five years on, activists jailed in ‘cruel’ 2019 crackdown must be released: Amnesty International calls on the Chinese authorities to release human rights lawyers Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong, who were arrested at a dinner in Xiamen five years ago, and to stop targeting the other lawyers who were in attendance.
Translations: Signs of Displeasure Herald Business Closures in Chaozhou, Shantou: In Chaozhou, a new pattern of business closures has emerged, as small shops try to avoid possible extortion via fines from local authorities. “The superficially humorous closure signs posted by merchants belied these legitimate economic concerns, leading some netizens to term the mass business closures ‘a non-violent, non-cooperative movement for a new era.’”
HRIC on Twitter/X: 20-year-old Li Yixue has been forcibly detained by the Chinese authorities for the second time for exposing the government's use of mental hospitals as prisons for rights activists.
Tibetan champion of language preservation dies after release: Gonpo Namgyal, leader of Ponkor Village in Qinghai province’s Dharlag county, who had been arrested in May for engaging in activities to promote the preservation of Tibetan language and culture, died several days after his release from detention. Electrical burn and torture marks were found on his body during cremation, indicating abuse while in police custody.
Uyghur intellectual died while in custody of Chinese authorities: Ibrahim Dawut, a former chemistry teacher at a high school in Kashgar, was an outspoken critic of China’s bilingual education system in which some classes were taught in Mandarin and others in Uyghur. New sources report that he tragically died while in custody several years ago.
Video captures abuse of Tibetan student by Chinese principal: Despite the prevalence of such incidents, it is difficult to hold Chinese officials accountable in Tibetan areas as local governments consistently implement policies that contradict their own constitution.
A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds: Such protests are extremely rare in Tibet. These protests highlight the local community’s strong opposition to China's controversial push to build dams in what has long been a sensitive area.
Hong Kong activist Wong Ji-yuet seeks to overturn sentence in landmark subversion case involving 47 democrats: Wong has been jailed for four years and five months along with 44 others convicted of “conspiracy to commit subversion” over their roles in an unofficial primary election.
Hong Kong: Free expression under attack 40 years after the Sino-British Joint Declaration: last week marked the 40th anniversary of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which established the terms of the Hong Kong handover, including “one country, two systems.” On the anniversary, human rights groups pointed out the stark decrease in human rights in Hong Kong as the Chinese government has decided to no longer comply with the terms of the agreement. Article19 explains: “China has stated that it is no longer bound by large parts of the Joint Declaration, claiming it has no ‘practical significance, and it is not at all any binding,’ a mere ‘historical document.’ In reality, as an international legal agreement, the Declaration has been registered as a binding treaty with the United Nations since 1985.”
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
China takes steps against Canada institutions, individuals over Uyghurs, Tibet: The measures, which took effect on Saturday, include asset freezes and bans on entry.
International Responses 国际反应
Congressional-Executive Commission on China 2024 Annual Report: A new report from the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China presents a year of congressional investigations, including testimony from HRIC's Zhou Fengsuo, in a call for action against the Chinese government's many human rights violations.
More people in America should read HRIC. Maybe then we wouldn’t have to listen to their incessant bitching, whining, and world class-level stupidity about how repressed we are here.