Human Rights in China - 中国人权

10/15/2026

BEA’s London branch canceled a payment from HRIC to a third party in September, raising questions about the extraterritorial reach of China’s political sanctions and the responsibilities of financial institutions operating under UK regulation.

🔗 Read more on our Substack.

09/25/2026

Volexity (boutique Reston, VA. threat intel firm) published part ii of its report on Chinese hackers exploiting unpatched flaws in Chrome and Windows. A third Chinese state-linked group used the same attack in early September, before Google and Microsoft had fixed it.

Important for HRIC: the bait sent to SE Asian government targets was a Chinese-language email urging them to speak up for Chow Hang-tung, the jailed Hong Kong barrister. The link went to a fake copy of China Digital Times, the independent site that documents PRC censorship. A second campaign used a fake Center for American Progress site. Beijing’s hackers continue to use Hong Kong political prisoners and Washington think tanks as lures, and stealing the credibility of the outlets that expose them to do it.

The known recipients were government bodies, not activists, so this is human rights used as bait rather than proven targeting of dissidents. And the other fake sites Volexity found (halal restaurant guides, a Brunei newspaper) are only a medium-confidence link, but they may also suggest interest in Muslim-majority Southeast Asia.

Bigger point: three separate Chinese hacking groups used the same attack tool in the same week, against different targets. Volexity thinks it was shared between them.

Kudos to Volexity for their pro bono support for these targeted communtiies over many years.

09/24/2026

“I Can Have You Shot Under the Anti-Secession Law!”

Suspected CCP Operative Threatens Protester with Death Outside Toronto Consulate, Screams “F**k Canada”

​On the morning of September 22, an alarming incident of transnational repression occurred directly outside the Chinese Consulate-General in Toronto.

​A man wearing a Chinese national flag pin—strongly suspected of being consulate personnel—openly and violently tore down protest banners and shoved an elderly female demonstrator. Confronting the peaceful protesters, he aggressively issued blatant death threats: “Under the Anti-Secession Law, I can have you shot!” and “Believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death!”

​When a bystander stepped in to intervene and reminded him, “This is Canada,” the man showed no restraint, brazenly shouting back, “F**k Canada!” along with a stream of profanities.

​If threatening to execute individuals under CCP laws and trampling on Canadian sovereignty and freedom of speech on Canadian soil goes completely unpunished, what remains of Canada’s rule of law and its defenses against transnational repression?

09/23/2026

Human Rights in China warmly welcomes the release of the English edition of Xu Zhiyong’s “A Beautiful China”

The English edition of Xu Zhiyong’s essay collection “A Beautiful China” was launched at Georgetown University Law Center on Monday, with more than twenty friends, human rights advocates, publishers, scholars, and lawyers in attendance. The launch came just ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit to the US, offering the international community a chance to hear a voice beyond China’s official narrative.

Xu Zhiyong, founder of the New Citizens’ Movement, was sentenced in 2023 by the Linshu County People’s Court in Shandong to 14 years in prison on charges of “subversion of state power” — his second imprisonment. “A Beautiful China” collects 24 essays, most written between his two periods of detention from 2017 to 2019, in which Xu reflects on his and his generation’s efforts to advance China’s civic movement, sketching a vision of a constitutional, democratic, rule-of-law China grounded in freedom, justice, and love. These same writings later became evidence used against him by the authorities.

Human Rights in China warmly welcomes the publication of the English edition of “A Beautiful China.” It is a weighty gift, carrying Xu Zhiyong’s voice beyond the Great Firewall to be heard by the world. We call on the international community to continue paying attention to the situations of prisoners of conscience including Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, and urge the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned for their words. A beautiful China deserves to be heard by the world.

09/21/2026

Human Rights in China joined 29 other organizations in urging Xi Jinping to release political prisoners, end transnational repression, and enact human rights reforms ahead of his Washington visit.

📝👉🏻 Read the full open letter on our Substack via the link in our bio.

09/21/2026

🤖 China is building a “wind tunnel” for

Chinese state-linked researchers are developing systems designed not simply to generate propaganda, but to test and tailor it against simulated foreign audiences.

ASPI highlights Huanyu Zhiying 1.0 (寰舆智应), unveiled by Sun Yat-sen University in April. Its developers say it draws on more than 10,000 simulated profiles across 18 countries, built using international survey data, social-media material and research into foreign attitudes toward .

The system can simulate foreign-media coverage, predict how different audiences might react, then refine Chinese messaging in response. Instead of broadcasting a narrative and seeing what lands, researchers can potentially test it against synthetic audiences first.

There is no evidence yet that Huanyu Zhiying works as advertised. Its developers have published no technical paper, benchmark or country-level error rate. But the intended direction is clear.

👉🏻 Read the full article on our LinkedIn account 🔗

09/11/2026

On September 11, 2026, the West Kowloon Law Courts in Hong Kong sentenced three former leaders of the dissolved Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (HKASPDMC) in a national security case involving the charge of “inciting subversion of state power.” The Alliance, former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung had been found guilty on August 21, while former vice-chairman Albert Ho had pleaded guilty before the trial.

Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison, Lee Cheuk-yan to seven years, and Albert Ho to five years and two months. The HKASPDMC was also fined HK$1.5 million.

Former HKASPDMC Standing Committee member Lau Ka-yee stated that the HKASPDMC has always upheld freedom of speech, and therefore, regardless of the sentence, she believes it is excessive. She indicated that both Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung will appeal, but details still need to be discussed with their lawyers.

The UN Human Rights Office criticized the sentences, calling them “regrettable,” while UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged that sentences be quashed and that Hong Kong’s National Security Law be brought into line with China’s international human rights obligations.

09/11/2026

【因纪念六四，香港支联会三名领导人邹幸彤、李卓人、何俊仁被判7年3个月至5年2个月不等重刑】据纽约时报，2026年9月11日，香港法院判处香港支联会三名核心成员重刑。曾经连续数十年组织香港维多利亚公园“六四”烛光晚会的律师邹幸彤、工运人士李卓人和律师何俊仁，分别被判处7年3个月、7年和5年2个月监禁。三人均依据北京于2020年强行实施的《香港国安法》被定罪。

香港支联会曾是香港最重要的民主及“六四”纪念组织之一，其宗旨包括“结束一党专政、建设民主中国”。在1989年之后的三十多年里，香港曾是中国境内唯一能够公开举行大规模“六四”纪念活动的地方。每年6月4日，数以万计的人聚集在维多利亚公园点燃蜡烛，悼念在1989年北京天安门广场及其周边军事镇压中死亡的人。这一传统也曾长期被视为香港相对于中国大陆所拥有的言论、集会和历史记忆空间的象征。

但2019年大规模反政府抗议之后，北京以“国家安全”为由进一步收紧对香港社会的控制。2020年《香港国安法》实施后，公开纪念六四逐渐成为被禁止的行为。维多利亚公园不再允许举行相关集会，警方会在六四前后加强巡查，并盘问独自进行悼念的人士。支联会也在2021年被迫解散，其资产遭冻结，并被要求删除网络上的相关内容。

此次案件中，三名支联会领导人被香港国安法指定法官裁定“煽动颠覆国家政权”罪成。法院认为，支联会要求“结束一党专政”等核心纲领对中国共产党执政构成挑战。香港行政长官李家超则表示，任何人都不能以“人权、民主和自由”为借口从事危害国家的行为。

其中，邹幸彤的审判尤其受到国际社会关注。她在法庭上亲自抗辩，没有因为面对长期监禁而放弃对六四历史的坚持。她在庭上宣读六四死难者母亲的证词，坚持使用“天安门大屠杀”这一表述，并拒绝按照法官要求改称所谓的“1989年事件”。即使身陷囹圄，她仍通过绝食等方式纪念六四周年。

《纽约时报》报道引述纽约“香港自由委员会基金会”主席Mark Clifford的评价称，即使在众多已经因为国安案件而变得谨慎的香港民主人士中，邹幸彤的表现仍然格外突出。她没有认罪求情，也没有仅仅从技术层面抗辩，而是在香港法庭上完整而直接地捍卫自由、言论自由以及对历史的记忆。

邹幸彤在陈词书中写道：“我宁愿成为一个罪犯，也不愿成为一个背叛良知的人。”在案件结束时，她再次承诺，将继续争取民主，并要求为六四死难者追究责任，“直到民主到来的那一天”。

而这场审判，也让1989年天安门运动的亲历者与幸存者再次发声。

曾参加1989年天安门学生运动、后来居住在美国的中国人权执行主任周锋锁接受《纽约时报》电话采访时表示，邹幸彤从狱中写下的文章，让他再次感受到当年天安门广场民主运动者那种无所畏惧的精神。

周锋锁特别将邹幸彤的勇气与著名的“坦克人”相提并论。1989年6月4日北京军事镇压之后，一名身份至今未知的男子独自站在长安街上，面对驶来的坦克车队。这一画面后来成为1989年民主运动最具象征性的影像之一。

周锋锁说，邹幸彤在面对审判和牢狱时所表现出的坚持，让他想起了这种“不向强权后退”的精神。他向邹幸彤、李卓人和何俊仁表达感谢，并说：

“他们替我们这一代人承受了1989年以来的苦难。我向他们致敬。”

这句话尤其值得关注。对于1989年的学生运动参与者而言，六四不仅仅是一段已经过去的历史，也是此后三十多年政治记忆、个人命运和民主追求的一部分。如今，当香港曾经公开存在的六四纪念空间被彻底关闭，当支联会被解散、资产被冻结，当参与纪念活动的人可能因为国安法而面临多年监禁时，1989年那一代人的历史记忆，实际上正在由香港新一代异议人士以巨大的个人代价继续承担。

香港支联会如今已经不复存在，组织还被判处约150万港元罚款；而三名曾经负责组织六四纪念活动的领导人，则需要在已经服刑数年之后继续面对长达数年的监禁。

从允许数万人在维多利亚公园点燃蜡烛，到今天连公开提及“六四”都可能成为刑事风险，这不仅是一场针对三名民主人士的审判，也是香港政治环境发生巨大变化的一个缩影。

30多年来，香港曾经替中国保留了一块公开纪念六四的空间。如今，这块空间已经消失。

但正如邹幸彤在狱中所写，她对民主和六四死难者的承诺，并没有因为监禁而结束；而周锋锁对三人的致敬，也提醒人们：当权力试图抹去历史的时候，仍有人选择承担记忆。

他们替一代人守住记忆，而代价是自由。

报道原文👇

Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho were given lengthy prison sentences under a national security law imposed on the city by Beijing.

09/04/2026

A new campaign is targeting Chinese human rights defenders and activists with fake party invitations that appear to come from familiar contacts and trusted invitation services.

These messages may lead to fake login pages designed to steal passwords, authentication codes, or active sessions.

⬆️ See above for more.

09/01/2026

⚖️ Chinese Workers Find Leverage for Rights at Home Through Global Supply Chains

In July, 440 graduates joined Changzhou Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems, a major Chinese supplier to European carmakers. Just weeks later, 107 had their contracts terminated.

According to recordings provided by employees, some graduates were given a choice: resign for “personal reasons” with half a month’s salary, or remain and be reassigned to production-line operator jobs, with pay recalculated accordingly. HR reportedly suggested that refusing to cooperate could affect future background checks.

Then a group of the graduates changed tactics.

Rather than relying only on ’s (often sluggish) domestic labor mechanisms, affected workers reportedly compiled contracts, recordings and other evidence and sent complaints through the compliance systems of Xingyu’s overseas customers, including -Benz and . Complaints were also reportedly submitted to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where is pursuing an H-share listing.

The response quickly escalated.

On 25 August, authorities confirmed that Xingyu had terminated contracts with 107 graduates and criticized its handling as “simple and rigid” and lacking “sufficient and effective communication.”

2 days later, Xingyu apologised. The original offer of half a month’s salary was replaced by 3 months of job-seeking support, continued accommodation and, for graduates still unemployed by the end of November, compensation equivalent to 6 months’ salary.

Now the pressure has crossed borders. Mercedes-Benz has acknowledged a complaint and referred it for further review. On 1 September, Volkswagen China confirmed that it has launched a special investigation, stressing that respect for workers’ lawful rights extends throughout its supply chain.