Authorities in Heilongjiang province detained four attorneys hired to campaign for the release of prisoners being held in black jails. Black jails are extrajudicial detention facilities in which local authorities jail individuals they find troublesome, primarily people who petition against local government corruption or abuses of power.

As outlined by the New York Times, economic reforms have been the focus of China’s Central Committee conferences this past week. However, significant strides were made in social policy as well. In addition to changes of the country’s One Child Policy, China has also promised reform of its re-education through labor system. Despite these strides, optimists should reign in some of their hope; Nicholas Bequelin noted that this reform "doesn’t mean that China is going to be kinder to [political] dissent."

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. She became disabled in 2002 after enduring a vicious beating at the hands of local police for defending an individual who had been forcibly relocated by local officials.