Conduct Report – British MPs tasked with investigating allegations of phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct tabloid, News of the World, have released a long-awaited final report on the matter. The Daily Telegraph is …
chen guangcheng
After Dramatic Escape, Blind Chinese Activist Still Far Short of Freedom
The escape of blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng from an oppressive house arrest in his village to apparent safety under the protection of U.S. diplomats in Beijing is a significant victory for human-rights activists, …
Must-Reads from Around the World: April 30, 2012
Jungle Manhunt – The Washington Post reports on the U.S. military’s bid to capture messianic warlord Joseph Kony in the Central African Republic six months after President Barack Obama ordered 100 elite troops to spearhead the …
Blind Chinese Activist Escapes from House Arrest, Said to Enter U.S. Protection
On April 22, Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese legal activist named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in 2006, escaped from detention in eastern Shandong province, according to He Peirong, an online advocate who has …
Picking Quarrels, Disturbing Traffic and Vacation: The Creative Excesses of the Chinese Legal System
Last month, when officials in the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing announced that Wang Lijun, the former police chief and close aide to political heavyweight Bo Xilai, was undergoing “vacation-style treatment,” pretty …
Christian Bale Roughed Up in Failed Attempt to Visit Blind Chinese Activist
While in China this week on a publicity tour for the new film “Flowers of War,” Academy Award-winning actor Christian Bale attempted to visit Chen Guangcheng, the blind legal activist who is under house arrest with his family. Bale, who visited with a CNN crew, was punched and eventually turned away by plainclothes security guards. …
For Chinese Nobel Laureate’s Wife, Peace Prize Means Silence
On Friday the Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the 2011 Peace Prize laureate. Bookmakers Paddy Power, which correctly predicted Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo’s win last year, currently list Sima Samar, chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, as favorite, at 5/4. She is followed by Burmese opposition …
Another Chinese Dissident Released, but Still No Beijing Spring
Hu Jia, a Chinese dissident who was arrested in a clampdown ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was released early Sunday after serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence. Hu, who worked on environmental issues and helped AIDS patients, was convicted of “inciting subversion of state power” in connection with several articles …
In Human Rights Talks, U.S. Raises Concerns About China’s Crackdown
After two days of talks in Beijing on human rights, a U.S. representative expressed concern about the recent crackdown in China and the lack of information about several activists being held incommunicado by police. “In recent months we’ve seen a serious backsliding on human rights and a discussion of these negative trends dominated the …