UN Delays Adoption of Chinese Human Rights Report

In response to protests from a NGO on the UN assembly floor calling for a moment of silence for Cao Shunli, a civil society activist who recently died in detention after failing to receive adequate medical treatment, the UN Human Rights Council postponed the adoption of China’s Universal Periodic Review, a self-assessment of domestic human rights developments.

Chinese Legal Experts: Prosecutors Increasingly Torturing Defendants and Witnesses

According to legal experts, Chinese prosecutors are increasingly torturing witnesses and suspected criminals during criminal interrogations. Prior to the implementation of criminal procedure reforms in 2012 aimed at barring the use of confessions obtained through police torture, police were often tasked with coercing statements from witnesses and criminal defendants.

rule of law

Chinese Authorities Deny Responsibility for Death of Detained Activist

Despite denying her timely, adequate medical care while she was under detention, Chinese authorities have denied any responsibility for the death of activist Cao Shunli, who died in a Beijing hospital on Friday, March 14. Although Cao suffered from tuberculosis, liver diseases, and other ailments, Chinese authorities denied her requests for medical parole to seek necessary treatment.

Chinese Government Cracks Down on Popular Microblog

The Communist Party deleted a host of public WeChat accounts this week without prior warning. The popular microblog, which boasts 271 million users, primarily functions as a means for people to communicate individually or in small groups. The website, however, also has more than two million public accounts, which can be viewed any WeChat user.

Censorship

Reporters Without Borders Labels China "Enemy of the Internet"

In a recent report titled “Enemies of the Internet,” Reporters Without Borders labeled Chinese cyberspace as the world’s most sophisticated Internet censorship system. China exerts this extraordinary control through the self-censorship of netizens fearing retaliation and the cooperation of Internet companies.