Chinese police detained activist Liu Linna for "retweeting" news of unrest in Xinjiang province on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter. She is currently being held in an administrative detention facility in Henan province.
News & Views
A Chinese court reportedly sentenced Washul Dotruk to 10 years in prison for his alleged involvement in a self-immolation in December 2012. Dotruk was an active community leader who had been arrested in 2008 for allegedly leading a protest against the Chinese government.
Spain’s National Court formally indicted former Chinese President Hu Jintao on genocide charges. The charges relate to alleged crimes against humanity he committed against Tibetans while serving as President of China from 2003-2013 and Party Secretary of Tibet from 1988-1992. Hu Jintao no longer enjoys diplomatic immunity after retiring form politics.
Authorities have formally arrested Liu Hu, a journalist known for exposing government corruption. Liu’s arrest coincides with President Xi Jinping’s nationwide campaign to crackdown on official corruption while simultaneously jailing citizens who attempt to reveal official graft.
Tan Jiehong, a 16-year-old student at the Dali Yanbu Vocational and Technical College in Guangdong, died last month after being forced to work 12-hour shifts at an electronic appliance facility as part of a school program. Tan had asked for sick leave after coming down with a fever the day he died. Factory managers, however, denied his request.
In his new book The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957, author and historian Frank Dikotter thoroughly debunks the myth that the early years of Communist rule in China were characterized by relative peace and increasing prosperity.
Ni Yulan, a disabled rights lawyer whose 2012 arrest garnered international attention, has been released from prison. Ni gained fame by defending the rights of individuals who were forcibly evicted from their property without adequate compensation.
In a Sky News report, journalist Mark Stone provides a gripping account of a woman, Liu Xinwen, who was forced to undergo a forced abortion after becoming pregnant with a second child. Liu became pregnant despite being forcibly sterilized following the birth of her first child.
In a move reminiscent of Mao Zedong's practice of forcing suspected "rightists" to participate in self-criticism sessions, President Xi Jinping has urged government officials to publicly criticize their past bad behavior.
A court in China has convicted 17-year-old Li Tianyi of rape and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The court said it had shown leniency to Li, because he was a juvenile and should be given a chance to correct and reform his behavior.