1 Update- Please click the blue address link.

1. China: Jailed human rights lawyer’s failed appeal highlights fear of dissent

1 Update- Please click the blue address link.

1. Hong Kong: Conviction of Stand News journalists another attack on press freedom

1 Update- Please click the blue address link.

1. Chinese #MeToo activist sentenced to 5 years in jail  

15th June 2024

1 Update- Please click the blue address link.

1. China accused of brutally torturing Christian sect members     

6th May 2024

https://www.ucanews.com/news/china-accused-of-brutally-torturing-christian-sect-members/105007

END

3 Updates- Please click the blue address link.

1. China: Chinese director arrested for protest film: Chen Pinlin.       

26th April 2024

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/7984/2024/en/

2. Hong Kong: Passing of Article 23 law a devastating moment for human rights.       

19th March 2024

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/03/hong-kong-passing-of-article-23-law-a-devastating-moment-for-human-rights/

3. China punishing children for parents' activism.     

16th April 2024

https://www.ucanews.com/news/china-punishing-children-for-parents-activism/104799

END

1 Update- Please click the blue address link.

1. Liaoning: Li Yuhan, the ‘big sister' of human rights lawyers, is free again     

25th March 2024

3 Updates- Please click the blue address link.

1. Freedom of religion is ‘deteriorating’ in Hong Kong, new report says

6th February 2024

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256745/freedom-of-religion-is-deteriorating-in-hong-kong-new-report-says

2. China: Activist Li Qiaochu unjustly convicted ‘for speaking out about torture’

5th February 2024

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/china-activist-li-qiaochu-unjustly-convicted-for-speaking-out-about-torture/

3. Hong Kong: Article 23 legislation a ‘dangerous’ moment for human rights

30th January 2024

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/01/hong-kong-article-23-legislation-a-dangerous-moment-for-human-rights/

END

2 Updates- Please click the blue address link.

1. China’s new ‘Patriotic Education Law’ places further limits on religious instruction.

9th November 2023

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255964/china-s-new-patriotic-education-law-places-further-limits-on-religious-instruction

2. China: After six years deprived of liberty, human rights lawyer finally sentenced

25th October 2023​

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/china-after-six-years-deprived-of-liberty-human-rights-lawyer-finally-sentenced/

End

1 Update- Please click the blue address link.

1. HRW decries China’s forced repatriation of North Koreans

13th October 2023

https://www.ucanews.com/news/hrw-decries-chinas-forced-repatriation-of-north-koreans/102925

END

2 Updates- Please click the blue address link.

1. After years of hunger strikes, jailed Chinese citizen journalist is in hospital.

1 September 2023

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/jailed-citizen-journalist-09012023140128.html

2. China jails economics professor who highlighted government’s personnel costs.

31 August 2023

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-econ-prof-08312023153953.html

END

2 Updates- Please click the blue address link.

1. People’s Republic of China: Human rights situation at new low: Amnesty International: Submission to the 45th session of the UPR Working Group, January-February 2024

2. China's new anti-espionage law comes into effect

1 Update- Please click the blue address link.

China: Unfair trials of prominent activists an attack of freedom of association

21st June 2023

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/06/china-unfair-trials-of-prominent-activists-an-attack-of-freedom-of-association/?utm_source=annual_report&utm_medium=epub&utm_campaign=2021

END

2 Updates

1. Beijing tightens online censorship.

2. Auditors in China to monitor online religious activities.

1. 

Beijing tightens online censorship.

26th July 2022

AsiaNews - www.asianews.it

Rome (AsiaNews) - Chinese authorities have published new regulations on internet censorship that aim to reveal the identity of users and prevent the flow of data outside China. They are the latest efforts by the government to tighten online control in the name of state security.

A new regulation released by the Cyberspace Administration of China requires web users to provide their true personal information when signing up for accounts for web services, including job occupation, while the internet service providers must disclose users’ IP addresses. In addition, when registering new accounts that create content in specific professions such as economy, education, medical service and law, the users must provide professional certificates. The new regulation comes into effect in August.

The Cyberspace Administration of China oversees the affairs of the Internet, propaganda and censorship, and it owns the China Internet Investment Fund, which has ownership stakes in major technology firms, involving areas of digital infrastructure, social networks, artificial intelligence, and big data, etc.

With China’s slack economic growth, authorities have reinforced the censorship on the economic agenda and worry the economic issues may impact social stability. Economists’ pessimistic analyses and forecasts are targets of censorship. Major Chinese social networks have begun displaying users’ geographical locations since May.

Deliberate typos, homonyms, symbols and English letters are usually used by Chinese netizens in sensitive posts to circumvent censorship. The new regulation also forbids such conduct.

Real name registration for social networks has been in effect for years, and users are asked to provide ID number and phone number to sign up for a new account. Recently, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released an online portal to allow users to look up how many accounts of social networks are associated with their phone number and ID number. At the moment, 11 most used apps are connected to the system and it is expected more services will join this system. The system indicates that cross-platform censorship is possible the authorities have the capability to close a user’s all accounts on different social media at the same time if necessary.

Another regulation requires the service providers that transfer users’ personal information or “important data” abroad to report to the government for security evaluation. The regulation does not define the scope of “important data”. Analysts say that the new regulation may impose a new challenge for multinational companies for IT structure and additional costs to store the data in China.

China has already tightened the restriction on companies that planned to launch on the foreign stock exchange since last year as foreign companies listed on US exchanges are mandated to disclose more information to meet the auditing requirements. Forced by state security investigation from Chinese authorities, China’s leading car-hailing service Didi quit the New York Stock Exchange.

Currently the academic area is targeted by state security inspection. China’s largest academic journal database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) has been under scrutiny by the Cyberspace Administration of China since the end of June. The announcement of the Cyberspace Administration of China claimed that CNKI has important data in key industries and dynamics of the latest technology.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

2. 

Auditors in China to monitor online religious activities.

6th July 2022

UCA News - www.ucanews.com
 

Rights group calls move a 'wider effort to crack down on spread of religious information online'

By UCA News reporter

 

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to expand its apparatus to monitor and curb religious activities in cyberspace through training and deploying hundreds of “auditors” across the country, triggering concerns from rights groups.

Under the guidance of the CCP, the Ethnic and Religious Commission of Guangdong Province in southern China held a test for the first group of auditors for the state-run Internet Religious Information Services in early June, the China Christian Daily reported.

The result of the test was announced at the end of June and showed 127 qualified for auditor posts.

The Internet Religious Information Services agency was formed in March this year after the Chinese government’s State Administration for Religious Affairs announced the "Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services" on Dec. 3, 2021.

The measures have been formulated by several state agencies in line with existing legislation in China such as the "Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China", "Administrative Measures for Internet Information Services," and the revised "Regulations on Religious Affairs."  

US-based Christian rights group, International Christian Concern, termed the move to deploy auditors as a “part of a wider effort to crack down on the spreading of religious information online.”   

The regulation concerning internet religious information services insists on “the integration of the protection of citizens’ freedom of religion with the maintenance of national ideological security, and the combination of the safeguarding of the legitimate rights and interests of religious believers with the practice of core socialist values,” John Wang, a reporter and commentator for the China Christian Daily wrote on Dec. 23, 2021.

Besides detailing measures for standardizing internet-based religious information services, it asks that online preaching should be organized and performed by religious groups, religious schools, temples, and churches that have obtained an "Internet Religious Information Service License."

"Both legal and illegal religious groups have been facing a renewed crackdown"

No organization or individual is allowed to carry out virtual missionary work and religious education and training, post the content of sermons or forward related content except for conditions specified in Articles 15 and 16 of the regulation, Wang said. It also bans organizing, live broadcasts and recordings of online religious activities

Despite recognizing the legal presence of five religions — Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Catholicism and Protestantism — China controls all religious activities through state-sanctioned bodies that report to communist officials at local and central levels.

Since President Xi Jinping came to power, both legal and illegal religious groups have been facing a renewed crackdown under the pretext of several repressive policies including the 2018 Regulation on Religious Affairs.

In its latest religious freedom report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom slammed China for the deterioration of religious freedom conditions.

“The communist Chinese government has created a high-tech surveillance state, utilizing facial recognition and artificial intelligence to monitor and harass Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Falon Gong and other religions,” the commission noted.

Independent experts estimate that between 900,000 and 1.8 million Uighur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims have been detained in more than 1,300 concentration camps in Xinjiang, it added.

END

1 Update

1. China forces removal of Bible and Quran apps.

22nd October 2021

UCA News - www.ucanews.com

Apple removes religious apps from App Store in China after complaints from officials

UCA News reporter

American tech giant Apple has removed a Bible app and a Quran app from its App Store in China following requests from officials, triggering condemnation from rights groups over a further violation of religious freedom by the communist state.

Apple confirmed to the BBC that the apps, Quran Majeed and Bible App by Olive Tree, have been taken down. Chinese officials complained that the apps violated laws by hosting religious texts illegally.

"We are required to comply with local laws, and at times there are complex issues about which we may disagree with governments and other stakeholders on the right path forward, " Apple reportedly told BBC, explaining its human rights policy.

Quran Majeed has over 5 million downloads on the Google Play Store, while Bible App by Olive Tree has just over 1 million downloads, according to Business Insider .

Quran Majeed is produced by Pakistan Data Management Services. The company says it has over 35 million users globally including 1 million users in China. It said Apple informed it that “the app has been removed from the China App Store because it includes content that requires additional documentation from Chinese authorities.”

Olive Tree Bible Software, founded in 2000 in Spokane, Washington, creates biblical software and mobile apps. It is an electronic publisher of Bible versions, study tools, Bible study tools and Christian eBooks for mobile, tablet and desktop devices.

Another American tech giant, Microsoft, recently announced it was closing its career-focused site LinkedIn in China as Chinese laws pose extreme difficulties. LinkedIn faced criticism recently for closing the accounts of some journalists following complaints from Chinese authorities.

US-based Christian group International Christian Concern (ICC) expressed concern over the removal of the Bible and Quran apps, citing that China had recently shut down Christian WeChat accounts, removed Bible apps and jailed Christians for selling electronic Bible players “illegally.”

Communist China presents itself as an atheist state officially. Although it recognizes the legal entity of five organized religions — Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam and Taoism — religious organizations and activities are strictly controlled.

Christian organizations and clergy face surveillance and penalties if they violate various Chinese laws regulating religious groups, including the 2018 regulations on religious affairs. The rules require all religious organizations and clergy to be registered with the state and prohibit any activity that the state deems illegal and unauthorized

China has faced a global backlash over its “genocidal treatment” of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

US-based Open Doors ranked China 17th out 50 countries where Christians face extreme forms of oppression in its 2021 World Watch Report.

“The new restrictions on the internet, social media and non-governmental organizations, as well as religious regulations ... are strictly enforced and represent a serious restriction on freedom,” Open Doors said.

End

1 Update

1. Moderate Prosperity in All Respects: Another Milestone Achieved in China's Human Rights.

1. 

Moderate Prosperity in All Respects: Another Milestone Achieved in China's Human Rights.

12th August 2021

The State Council
The People's Republic of China
http://english.www.gov.cn/

Full Text: Moderate Prosperity in All Respects: Another Milestone Achieved in China's Human Rights

Updated: Xinhua

BEIJING — The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China on Aug 12 released a white paper titled "Moderate Prosperity in All Respects: Another Milestone Achieved in China's Human Rights."

Please see the attachment for the document.
 
Full Text: Moderate Prosperity in All Respects: Another Milestone Achieved in China's Human Rights

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/download/2021-8-12/Fulltext.doc

End

1 Update

Hong Kong: National Security Law has created a human rights emergency.

30th June 2021

Amnesty International

Hong Kong: National Security Law has created a human rights emergency
 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/06/hong-kong-national-security-law-has-created-a-human-rights-emergency/

Hong Kong’s National Security Law (NSL) has decimated the city’s freedoms and created a landscape increasingly devoid of human rights protections, Amnesty International said in a new research briefing released today, exactly one year after the Beijing-imposed legislation took effect.

‘In the Name of National Security’ details how the law enacted on 30 June 2020 has given the authorities free rein to illegitimately criminalize dissent while stripping away the rights of those it targets.

“In one year, the National Security Law has put Hong Kong on a rapid path to becoming a police state and created a human rights emergency for the people living there,” said Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director.

“From politics to culture, education to media, the law has infected every part of Hong Kong society and fomented a climate of fear that forces residents to think twice about what they say, what they tweet and how they live their lives.

“Ultimately, this sweeping and repressive legislation threatens to make the city a human rights wasteland increasingly resembling mainland China.”

Based on analysis of court judgments, court hearing notes and interviews with activists targeted under the NSL, Amnesty’s briefing shows how the legislation has been used to carry out a wide range of human rights violations over the past 12 months.

In this time, the government has repeatedly used “national security” as a pretext to justify censorship, harassment, arrests and prosecutions. There is clear evidence indicating that the so-called human rights safeguards set out in the NSL are effectively useless, while the protections existing in regular Hong Kong law are also trumped by it.

Bail reversal violates right to fair trail

On 1 July 2020, the first full day of the law being in force, police arrested more than 300 protesters, including 10 on suspicion of violating the NSL. Since then, the government has continued to arrest and charge individuals under the NSL solely because they have exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Worse still, people charged under the law are effectively presumed guilty rather than innocent, meaning they are denied bail unless they can prove they will not “continue to commit acts endangering national security”.

The briefing also outlines how authorities have used the NSL to:

* Crack down on international political advocacy , arresting or ordering the arrest of 12 individuals for “colluding” or “conspiracy to collude” with “foreign forces” because they were in contact with foreign diplomats, called for sanctions from other countries or called for other countries to provide asylum for those fleeing from persecution. Others were targeted for their social media posts or for giving interviews to foreign media.

* Expand powers for law enforcement investigators – including giving the Hong Kong Police’s national security unit the ability to search properties, freeze or confiscate assets and seize journalistic materials, such as in the two raids on pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily during the year. Such unchecked powers leave little room to prevent potential human rights violations during the investigative process.

“The Hong Kong government must stop using its excessively broad definition of ‘endangering national security’ for the blanket restriction of freedoms. As a start, it must drop all criminal charges against those currently facing prosecution for exercising their human rights,” said Yamini Mishra.

“The onus is also on the United Nations to start an urgent debate on the deteriorating human rights situation in China, including with regards to the implementation of the NSL in Hong Kong.”

Background

The NSL was unanimously passed by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee and enacted in Hong Kong on 30 June 2020 without any formal, meaningful public or other local consultation.

The law targets alleged acts of “secession”, “subversion of state power”, “terrorist activities” and “collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security”.

This sweeping definition of “national security”, which follows that of the Chinese central authorities, lacks clarity and legal predictability and has been used arbitrarily as a pretext to restrict the human rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and liberty, as well as to repress dissent and political opposition.

The NSL’s arbitrary application and imprecise criminal definitions effectively make it impossible to know how and when it might be deemed as violated, resulting in an instant chilling effect across Hong Kong from day one.

Between 1 July 2020 and 29 June 2021, police arrested or ordered the arrest of at least 118 people in relation to the NSL. As of 29 June 2021, 64 people have been formally charged, of whom 47 are presently in pretrial detention.

More: HONG KONG: IN THE NAME OF NATIONAL SECURITY
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/4197/2021/en/

END

1 Update

Germany's Merkel calls for human rights dialogue with China to resume

By: Reuters Staff

BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Wednesday for dialogue with Beijing on human rights to resume as soon as possible, in her last government consultations with China as leader of Europe’s biggest economy.

Merkel said the regular consultations had during her nearly 16 years in power improved cooperation on issues from climate change to business, and had at times covered areas of disagreement such as human rights and Hong Kong.

“It’s an exchange that covers common ground, but sometimes also different points of view,” Merkel said in a statement after a video call with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The sixth round of consultations also included 25 government ministers.

“I would hope that we could also get the human rights dialogue going again as soon as possible,” said Merkel, who is not running in a federal election in September.

A Chinese foreign ministry statement acknowledged Beijing and Berlin have different views on some issues but did not mention human rights dialogue. It called for mutual respect of core interests and communication on the basis of non-interference.

Li said China and Germany should demonstrate “cooperation and unity” in their push for global economic recovery, according to the foreign ministry statement.

The two countries signed a range of cooperation agreements in areas from health to research and transport.

China is Germany’s most important trading partner for goods with trade volume of over 212 billion euros in 2020.

During the consultations, Joe Kaeser, head of the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business, underlined the importance of China for German companies.

However, he also said firms had concerns about requirements for local data storage in China, restrictions on cross-border data transfer and complained that foreign firms were not treated equally in the awarding of contracts by state-owned companies.

Merkel said she hoped the government talks would continue after she leaves office.

“These will be my last government consultations. But I hope that they will not be the last government consultations between China and Germany,” said Merkel.

* Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian in Beijing, Reporting by Madeline Chambers, editing by Timothy Heritage

End

2 Updates

1. China: Statements by Delegation of the European Union to China

2. Freedoms and rights nosedive in Asian nations    

1. 

China: Statements by Delegation of the European Union to China

29th December 2020

Delegation of the European Union to China

China: Statement by the Spokesperson

on sentencing of journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders

Brussels, 29/12/2020 - 10:23,

The restrictions on freedom of expression, on access to information, and intimidation and surveillance of journalists, as well as detentions, trials and sentencing of human rights defenders, lawyers, and intellectuals in China, are growing and continue to be a source of great concern.

On 28 December 2020, Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court sentenced Ms Zhang Zhan to four years of imprisonment for ‘picking quarrels and stirring up trouble’. Prior to her detention, Ms Zhang Zhan had been reporting about the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan.

According to credible sources, Ms Zhang has been subject to torture and ill-treatment during her detention and her health condition has seriously deteriorated. It is crucial that she receives adequate medical assistance.

On 13 December, the Jiangsu Higher People’s Court upheld the first instance court decision on the case of prominent human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, confirming a sentence of four years’ imprisonment, without giving to his defence lawyers the possibility to present a defence statement in accordance with China’s Criminal Procedure Law.

The European Union calls for the immediate release of Ms Zhang Zhan, of Mr Yu Wensheng, and of other detained and convicted human rights defenders, including Li Yuhan, Huang Qi, Ge Jueping, Qin Yongmin, Gao Zhisheng, Ilham Tohti, Tashi Wangchuk, Wu Gan, Liu Feiyue, as well as all those who have engaged in reporting activities in the public interest.

*** *** *** *** *** ***

China: Statement by the Spokesperson

on the trial of 10 Hong Kongers

Brussels, 29/12/2020 - 14:01,

Ten out of the twelve individuals from Hong Kong, detained at sea by the Chinese authorities in August, went on trial in Shenzhen on 28 December.

The defendants were not permitted to appoint lawyers of their choice, and access to them in custody has been heavily restricted. The trial was not held in open court. Diplomatic representatives were unable to attend the court proceedings and the attendance of relatives of the detained was impeded.

The defendants’ rights to a fair trial and due process - in accordance with international human rights law and as provided by China's Criminal Procedure Law - have not been respected. We call on China to guarantee procedural fairness and due process of law for these individuals.

The European Union calls for the immediate release of these 12 individuals and their swift return to Hong Kong.

____________________________________________________________________________

2. 

Freedoms and rights nosedive in Asian nations

8th December 2020

UCA News - www.ucanews.com

Freedoms and rights nosedive in Asian nations

Global rights watchdog notes twice as many people are living in countries where civic freedoms are being violated in the space of a year

UCA News Reporter, Asia

Fundamental freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression have plummeted significantly across the world with Asia-Pacific faring poorly in 2019, says the new report from a global rights watchdog.

People Power Under Attack 2019 from CIVICUS Monitor, a global research collaboration, noted that twice as many people are living in countries where civic freedoms are being violated in the space of a year.

CIVICUS: https://monitor.civicus.org/PeoplePowerUnderAttack2019/

About 40 percent of the world’s population lived in repressive countries last year compared to 19 percent in 2018, and about 3 percent of the world’s population are now living in countries where their fundamental rights are, in general, protected and respected – which was 4 percent in 2018, said the report released on Dec. 8, two days before International Human Rights Day.

Out of a total 196 countries, 24 were rated with closed civic space, 38 countries with repressed space, and 49 with obstructed space. Just 43 countries receive an open rating, and 42 countries are rated narrowed.

The assault on civil society and fundamental freedoms has persisted in Asia-Pacific in 2019. The top five violations were censorship, restrictive laws, criminal defamation, harassment, and detention of protesters.

Closed civic space in Asia

In Asia, out of 25 countries, four have closed civic space with eight repressed and 10 obstructed. Civic space in Japan and South Korea is narrowed, leaving Taiwan as the only Asian country rated open.

“Our research shows that there continues to be a regression of civic space for activism across the region. The percentage of people living in Asian countries with closed, repressed or obstructed civic space is now at 95 percent” said Josef Benedict, Civic Space Researcher for CIVICUS.

The report expressed particular concerns over the trampling of fundamental civic rights in two Asian countries: India and Brunei.

India has been relegated to ‘repressed’ largely due to attacks on activists and journalists including assaults and killings for performing their duties.

The monitor has deplored the use of restrictive laws to stifle dissent: students, activists and academics — with extreme use of stringent laws. The Indian government has also enforced the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) with an aim to stop foreign funding and investigate NGOs that are critical of the regime.

The extremely worrying example of the crackdown on civic space was prevalent in India’s only Muslim-majority state, Kashmir.

In Brunei, fundamental freedoms have on the decline for years and it has been exuberated by the enactment of the revised Sharia (Islamic) penal code in April 2019.

It intensified restrictions further by imposing the death penalty for various offenses including defaming the Prophet Mohammed and punishments against individuals for publications against Islamic beliefs.

Censorship is the most common civic space violation in Asia, occurring in 20 countries.

China remains the worst offender as it continued to expand its censorship regime, blocking critical outlets, and social media sites. It was evident in the run-up to the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and during the anti-government protests in Hong Kong when the government blocked domestic coverage of these events and employed numerous internet trolls to disrupt social media narratives and control public discourse.

Other countries of the region including Bangladesh, Thailand and Pakistan have exploited censorship.

Bangladesh’s government blocked news outlets and websites that were critical of the state.

In Thailand, censorship increased before the elections in March 2019 – international outlets were cut off and journalists were targeted.

Journalists were also targeted in Pakistan, many were harassed or criminalized when they attempted to report the mass mobilization of ethnic Pashtuns demanding their rights.

Repression for power

At least 18 Asian nations used restrictive laws to stifle democratic and political rights, some of them adopting China’s authoritarian tactics to hold on to power and control freedom of expression.

Criminal defamation laws are commonly used in this region to repress activists and opposition members. Such laws were used in Bangladesh with scores of critics and journalists prosecuted under the draconian Digital Security Act. Malaysia’s criminal defamation laws were used to stamp out online criticism of religion and the monarchy, and in the Philippines, anyone who criticizes President Duterte now faces sedition and other charges.

The harassment of activists and journalists in Asia occurred in 18 countries. In China, activists are routinely placed under surveillance, house arrest or detained. Vietnamese activists are also placed under strict surveillance. In Cambodia, members of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party are routinely threatened or attacked.

The CIVICUS Monitor has been seriously alarmed by the harassment and attacks of protesters in Hong Kong. Civic space is rapidly shrinking in Hong Kong since mass protests against a proposed extradition bill began in June 2019. Security forces used excessive and lethal force against protesters and torture activists in detention.

Despite the bleak picture, there are some positive developments in parts of Asia. The Maldives repealed an anti-defamation law; Malaysia scrapped its repressive Anti-Fake News Act and Taiwan historically voted to legalise same-sex marriage.

END

National Human Rights Plan for China (2016-2020), Full Text

http://english.cctv.com/2016/09/29/ARTIQDKA008y65W8lvkMeFtZ160929.shtml

Amnesty International's 2013 report on China.

Human Rights in China

Western perspectives on Human rights in China

Human Rights watch: Asia: China and Tibet

http://www.hrw.org/asia/china

Amnesty International UK

http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/china/report-2013

Human Rights in China

http://www.hrichina.org/

Chinese Perspective on Human Rights in China

Peking University Law School – the Research Centre for Human Rights

http://www.llm-guide.com/university/572

Amnesty International report refuted

http://files.amnesty.org/air12/air_2012_full_en.pdf

China Human Rights

http://www.chinahumanrights.org/