HRIC Weekly Brief
November 26, 2024
Top News 头条
Is China headed for a “new White Paper” protest movement? November 25, 2024, marks the second anniversary of the White Paper movement in 2022, and Beijing has continued to intensify its control and censorship of spontaneous gatherings by young people, such as during Halloween, signaling the Chinese authorities’ fear of a new wave of protests. In a HRIC translation of an original feature from WOMEN我们 magazine, published in English for the first time, we learn how Yashar, a young Uyghur man, had been forcibly disappeared for the second time, with the multiple arrests of White Paper protestors across China creating a chilling effect. However, critics remark that China’s high-pressure state will not be able to last indefinitely.
In other news, Jimmy Lai provided his first testimony in a high-profile sedition trial that started nearly one year ago and was initially expected to last about 80 days but is now expected to continue into 2025. Some key points from his testimony include: while Lai was opposed to the implementation of the National Security Law, he had never called for Hong Kong’s independence as it was, in his own words, “a reality too crazy to think about.”
Law & Policy 法律与政策
Hong Kong nat. security cases and criminal trials excluded from remote hearings under proposed bill: The Courts (Remote Hearing) Bill, which will also exclude criminal trials and juvenile court proceedings from remote hearings, has been on the basis that national security risks could arise from harassment against witnesses giving evidence outside Hong Kong.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
China’s New Effort to Achieve Cyber Sovereignty: According to a new report by Open Technology Fund, “Blocked by Numbers: The Impact of Real-Name Registration Policies on Transnational Access to Chinese Social Media Apps,” these policies have created an “ideological firewall” that chills dissent by eliminating user anonymity and selectively restricting transnational access to Chinese social media apps.
China's Surveillance State is Selling Citizen Data as a Side Hustle: Black market operators have been in cahoots with Chinese government agency insiders who provide them with access to surveillance data of Chinese citizens, which is then resold online.
Fierce Online Backlash to Predictive Policing Tool Described as “Crowd Mood Monitoring and Early Warning System”: The tool, described as a “Crowd Mood Monitoring and Early Warning System,” employs security-camera footage to collect and analyze data on the “behaviors, gaits, facial expressions, and vestibular vibrations of people in a crowd in order to identify those exhibiting abnormal emotions.”
Chinese hackers preparing for conflict with US, cyber official says: According to US cybersecurity officials, China-linked hackers have compromised IT networks and taken steps to carry out disruptive attacks in the event of conflict, such as manipulating heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in server rooms, or disrupting critical energy and water controls.
Translation: Students Line Up at Facial Recognition Gate While Fleeing Fire: During a recent fire at a Shandong university, the students’ escape route was blocked by facial recognition turnstiles through which they had scan one by one, made worse with the smoke fumes from the fire.
70% of Hong Kong companies saw cyberattacks this year, privacy watchdog survey finds: According to the study commissioned by the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, artificial intelligence is a “double-edged sword” to combat cyberattacks.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
Two years after the White Paper Movement: “We Continue to Speak Up Through the Cracks, We Have No Regrets”: Despite living abroad in exile now, young White Paper protestors reflect on their journeys in the last two years, and their continued advocacy efforts despite living in difficult situations.
Reconstructing Political Spaces: The Transformation and Resistance of Halloween Celebrations: In an original HRIC piece, we uncover the significance of Halloween celebrations in China as a platform for civil expression, which has faced unprecedented systematic controls by Chinese authorities.
In Prague speech, Zhou urges the EU to reassess its economic and strategic dependencies on China: Speaking at an event by the Czech Students for Liberty in Prague, HRIC Executive Director Zhou Fengsuo highlighted the critical importance of making principled decisions that prioritize security and sovereignty over short-term economic gain.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
Tibetan environmentalist released after serving nearly 15 years in prison: Karma Samdrub, 56, had been arrested and sentenced in 2010 on trumped up charges of excavating ancient tombs and robbing cultural artifacts, despite having been cleared of all charges in a 1998 investigation.
Popular Tibetan poet released after serving 4-year sentence: Gendun Lhundrub, 50, who was arrested in December 2020 after authorities had monitored his activities over a long period for signs of political dissent, remains under strict surveillance and restrictions.
Five years on, PolyU protesters say they were defending freedoms: During the prolific episode when riot police besieged Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University and trapped protesters fought back with catapults and Molotov cocktails, protestors look back and maintain that they were trying to stand up for their fundamental freedoms in the face of ongoing political encroachment.
8 appear before jury at Hong Kong’s second UN anti-terrorism trial: All eight potentially face a life sentence, and pleaded not guilty. Seven of them face a charge of conspiracy to commit bombing of prescribed objects.
Hong Kong woman arrested over throwing red paint at gov’t headquarters: The 46-year-old woman had been arrested for alleged criminal damage, in connection with red paint found splashed on a flower bed and pedestrian path at the Central Government Offices.
Mother of jailed democrat Hendrick Lui arrested after holding up a banner outside court after son’s sentencing: Elsa Wu, 60, had held up a banner that read “Righteous people live, villains must die” for only two minutes before being being taken away by a police van.
Top Hong Kong court backs housing rights for gay couples: Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal upheld three earlier rulings that favoured granting public housing and inheritance rights to married same-sex couples, citing equality provisions in the city's mini-constitution.
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
Mandarin speech contests in Tibet are attempts to erase native language, experts say: Previously, Tibetans inside Tibet had voluntarily organized competitions for the use of their own language as part of efforts to protect it, but many organizations have been eliminated, and activities aimed at preserving these languages banned.
'Iron Brothers' for the China Story: Examining how ‘Huashang Weekly,’ the only bilingual Chinese-English weekly officially licensed for circulation in Pakistan, works as an example of propagating the Chinese leadership’s views through overseas media outlets.
International Responses 国际反应
European Union approves regulation aimed at stopping Uyghur forced labor: The Forced Labor Regulation was approved on Tuesday, and will require all EU member nations to ban from the EU market products or components that have been made – in part or whole – with forced labor.
Chinese man jailed for 20 months in US over plot targeting Falun Gong: John Chen, 71, from Los Angeles, was convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government and bribing a tax authority agent.
US ‘taking steps’ to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials after 45 democracy figures jailed: In response to the sentences meted out in Hong Kong’s largest national security case, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Tuesday that the US “strongly condemns” these sentences which range from four years and two months to 10 years.
Starmer twice declines to directly condemn jailing of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures: The UK Prime Minister had reiterated the importance of building bridges with China for the sake of economic growth, much to the chagrin of former UK leadership and critics.
From VOA Mandarin: Taiwan opens doors for China's banned movies: Chinese filmmakers have won top prizes in Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Awards, with some winning films focusing on sensitive topics like COVID-19 and LGBTQ issues that are actually banned in China.