The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

February 7 – 12, 2008

Top News of the Day
Human Rights Defender - Yu Huafeng (喻华峰)
Chinese Editor Released from Prison
Associated Press (available at YahooNews), February 09, 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080209/ap_on_re_as/china_journalist_freed_1
The editor of Southern Metropolitan Daily Yu Huafeng (喻华峰) was released from prison on
February 8. Yu was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment in 2004 for embezzlement and graft after his newspaper reported the beating death of a man in detention and broke the news of a SARS case before Beijing reported it to the World Health Organization. Yu was released on February 8 after his sentence had been reduced twice.

News
Corruption
Chinese Official Gets Life for Bribery
Associated Press (available at YahooNews), February 06, 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080206/ap_on_re_as/china_corruption_1

Disasters
China Loses One-Tenth of Forest Resources to Snow Havoc
Xinhuanet, February 09, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/09/content_7583928.htm

Education
Impoverished Minority Youth Get a Lifeline out of Poverty
Xinhuanet, February 06, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/06/content_7577066.htm

Environment
China Issues Draft Standards on Plastic Shopping Bags
Xinhuanet, February 08, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/08/content_7581599.htm

Government
China Issues Pamphlet to Guide Reconstruction in Disaster-hit Areas
Xinhuanet, February 09, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/09/content_7584627.htm

Human Rights Defender - Jin Haike (靳海科)
四君子之一靳海科病重 家人盼保外就医 (Family Hopes Jin Kaike Will Be Released on Medical Parole)
Radio Free Asia, February 11, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2008/02/11/jin_haike/

Land Policy
威海市民发出致联合国公开信 (Victims of Land Grabs in Weihai, Shandong, Send Open Letter to the United Nations)
Radio Free Asia, February 10, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2008/02/10/wei/

Media
中国加强监管互联网“虚拟社会”净化网络环境 (China Strengthens Internet Censorship to Purify the "Virtual Society")
Xinhuanet, February 11, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-02/11/content_7587168.htm

《炎黄春秋》连发四篇文章回忆赵紫阳 (Magazine Issues Fourth Article Commemorating Zhao Ziyang)
Radio Free Asia, February 11, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2008/02/11/zhaoziyang/

Behind the Great Firewall
The Guardian, February 09, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/09/internet.china

China Removes 200 Million "Harmful" Pieces of Online Information
Xinhuanet, February 07, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/07/content_7580994.htm

China Defends New Web Video and Audio Rules
Reuters, February 06, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSPEK16892420080206

Migrant Workers
Young Chinese Stranded over Holiday
Associated Press (available at YahooNews), February 07, 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080207/ap_on_re_as/china_new_year_1

China to Install New System to Ensure Migrant Workers Paid More, on Time
Xinhuanet, February 06, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/07/content_7579803.htm

Olympics
China Appoints Political Heavyweight to Clear Air over Olympics
Agence France-Presse (available at YahooNews), February 11, 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080211/wl_asia_afp/oly2008chnchinapolitics_080211071219

Athletes Face Olympic Ban for Criticizing China
Telegraph.co.uk, February 10, 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/10/nolympics110.xml

部分国家的运动员担心北京的空气污染 (Athletes of Some Countries Worried about Beijing's Air Pollution)
Radio Free Asia, February 09, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2008/02/09/kong/

China to Shut Factories to Cut Air Pollution Before Olympics
Bloomberg, February 09, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a58G43f8SI6E

Protests and Petitions
简要新闻∶吉林访民张洁被判处劳教一年半 (Jilin Petitioner Zhang Jie Sentenced to 1.5 Years in RTL)
Radio Free Asia, February 09, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/xinwen/2008/02/09/xinwen/