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mayawang.bsky.social

@mayawang.bsky.social
1.4K followers 86 following 201 posts

Deputy Asia director @hrw. Also distinguished fellow @asu_ldns. Email me: wangm(at)hrw(dot)org.

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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Turquoise Roof @turquoiseroof.org · 31/08/2026
Human Rights Watch’s @mayawang.bsky.social says Beijing’s instinct in a crisis is “to control and to ensure the narrative” by portraying itself as an efficient government. In Tibet, restrictions on journalists make the true scale of the disaster almost impossible to verify.
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Turquoise Roof @turquoiseroof.org · 31/08/2026
HRW: Beijing’s flood response in #Tibet: bar reporters, censor footage, punish “rumours”, & replace survivors’ voices with #propaganda. “AI may polish the performance, but the script remains unchanged,” writes @mayawang.bsky.social www.hrw.org/news/2026/08...
hrw.org
Tibet Flood Victims Have a Right to be Heard
As people in Nepal and across the Chinese border in Tibet reel from horrific mudslides, the Chinese government has turned to censorship and control.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Pastor Huang Yizi is about to be tried for "illegal business". His crime? "Distributing audio Bible players containing his sermons to church members." Xi Jinping's crackdown on religion continue in China: chinaaid.org/news/the-cas...
chinaaid.org
The case of Pastor Huang Yizi is scheduled to be heard on April 24 in Zhejiang
The case of Pastor Huang Yizi is scheduled for April 24 in Zhejiang. Learn about the charges and implications for his church.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
I feel conflicted tweeting about this, as student activists living abroad have gone back w/o incident, & I don't want to spread the chill. But the arbitrariness is the terror itself. Chinese student jailed for 6 years for protesting for democracy in Australia: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Student allegedly jailed in China for six years after taking part in pro-democracy protests in Australia
Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political repression
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Turquoise Roof @turquoiseroof.org · 22/04/2026
🚨A Chinese student was allegedly jailed for 6 years(!) after returning from #Australia, reportedly over pro-democracy protests in Sydney. @mayawang.bsky.social (HRW) says the case reflects a wider campaign of #transnationalrepression reaching PRC students overseas www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Student allegedly jailed in China for six years after taking part in pro-democracy protests in Australia
Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political repression
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
China’s conviction rate is nearing 100% as the not-guilty rate falls to ~0.021%—a 25-year low, raising wrongful conviction risks: china.caixin.com/2026-04-15/1...
china.caixin.com
法眼|无罪判决率降至25年来最低水平,意味着什么
有学者研究显示,2025年无罪率约为0.021%,也即一万人中仅两人能获得无罪判决。极低无罪率或许折射出更高的错案率
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
NEW: @hrw.org research finds that Beijing has tightened ideological control & surveillance on China's 12 million Catholics since Xi's Sinicization campaign & that the 2018 Holy See-China agreement has facilitated Beijing's pressure on the underground Catholic communities. www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...
hrw.org
China: Pressure on Catholics Escalates
Chinese authorities are increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled official church.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Major UK museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, has deleted maps and images deemed "sensitive" by Beijing censors from exhibition publications. Incredible: www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
theguardian.com
V&A censored catalogues after demands by Chinese printer
Exclusive: Victoria and Albert Museum has deleted maps and images deemed sensitive by Beijing censors from exhibition publications
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Behind China's development is the state-owned companies that can shift financial risks downward to small subcontractors + workers as they hold all the power.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Read this from @chinadigitaltimes.net about how a small construction subcontractor tried to recover ~1/2 million USD in unpaid wages owed to his workers by a major state-owned company, only to end up being sued by that company. chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7263...
chinadigitaltimes.net
凤凰财经|讨薪未果反成被告,一个包工头的三年
几年前,刘彪还是手握积蓄、带领几十号人的包工头,风光无两。如今,存款耗尽,亲戚借遍,癌症缠身,还讨要着给工人的工钱。
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Gao Zhen’s trial shows Beijing’s growing intolerance of dissent + contempt for the rule of law. He's punished for works done over a decade ago, when he was able to show them publicly in China. Secret trial + exit ban for family would've been rare back then www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/w...
nytimes.com
The Secret Trial of a Chinese Artist Accused of Mocking Mao Zedong
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Amr Magdi @amrmagdi.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
very important op-ed highlighting what's often missing in media coverage of China's economy: This is an economy based on crushing the rights of workers and communities rather than anything else. Heavy repression means only very little can be exposed by journalists & NGOs.
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Jan Kooy @kooyjan.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
"A Europe that systematically embed human rights across trade, procurement, migration, and security policies, would strengthen not only its credibility, but also its security, acting as a stabilizing force in an unstable world." - @benjeannerod.bsky.social & @mayawang.bsky.social in @lemonde.fr
hrw.org
Europe’s Economic Security Begins With Human Rights
Confronted with what he calls a “commercial tsunami” from China and growing unpredictability from the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to become “a true geopolitical an...
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
And the English version is available at www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...
hrw.org
Europe’s Economic Security Begins With Human Rights
Confronted with what he calls a “commercial tsunami” from China and growing unpredictability from the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to become “a true geopolitical an...
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Rather than quietly acquiescing to China’s "low-rights political economy," "European countries and other democracies should band together and integrate human rights into their economic and foreign policies. Read the op-ed on @lemonde.fr: www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...
lemonde.fr
« Les pays européens devraient intégrer les droits humains à leurs politiques économiques et étrangères »
TRIBUNE. Alors que le modèle économique chinois repose sur un système répressif – interdiction des syndicats, exploitation des migrants, travail forcé… –, l’Union européenne devrait renforcer la loi s...
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
If democracies treat China purely as a problem of subsidies or industrial policy, they are only addressing the symptoms—not the system.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Similarly, the Chinese government can mobilize capital, "forcibly seize rural land, displace villagers, and green‑light massive infrastructure projects without public consultation or effective legal constraints."
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
.@benjeannerod.bsky.social and I argue that labor is placed in a position of weak bargaining power. China's the only major industrial economy that bans independent labor unions, 1/3 of its workforce--300 million-- are second class citizens (aka "migrant workers") who take precarious work.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
European policies' focus on China's subsidies & industrial policy is missing a deeper point: that China's political economy is built on "a scaffolding of abuses that enable authorities to reshape economic sectors and to strong-arm communities with minimal resistance." www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...
lemonde.fr
« Les pays européens devraient intégrer les droits humains à leurs politiques économiques et étrangères »
TRIBUNE. Alors que le modèle économique chinois repose sur un système répressif – interdiction des syndicats, exploitation des migrants, travail forcé… –, l’Union européenne devrait renforcer la loi s...
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
The Chinese government's ever stronger grip on society is targeting the many people who, in a freer society, would be recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to uplift their community.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
It is incredibly courageous for the lawyers to take the Zion Church cases, given the frosty environment for law as the authorities have cracked down on lawyers who defend rights outside of government control since 2015. www.hrw.org/news/2025/07...
hrw.org
China: 10 Years Since ‘709 Crackdown,’ Lawyers Still Under Fire
The Chinese government is persecuting and silencing lawyers who challenge official abuses a decade after the “709 crackdown” on lawyers defending people’s rights.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
The case started in October 2025 when the Chinese authorities arrested nearly 30 pastors, preachers, and church members of the Zion Church in seven cities, including the church's pastor and founder Ezra Jin Mingri: www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Chinese government's going after the lawyers defending the arrested leaders of Zion Church, a major unofficial evangelical church in China, revoking and suspending the lawyers' licenses: www.wsj.com/world/china/...
wsj.com
China Targets Lawyers Defending Jailed Christian Leaders
The arrest of pastor Ezra Jin has drawn criticism from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of Congress.
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Bhuchung K. Tsering @bhuchung.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
"World leaders should use this moment to challenge #China’s enforced silence surrounding #Tibet" #TibetanUprisingDay @mayawang.bsky.social #HumanRightsWatch www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...
hrw.org
Don’t Forget Tibet on Anniversary of 1959 Lhasa Uprising
Nearly seven decades since the 1959 uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the Chinese government still treats March 10 with vigilance.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
On March 10, anniversary of 1959 Lhasa Uprising, Chinese govt would be on high alert, but few Tibetans would dare to mark the occasion as the cost is too high. "World leaders should use this moment to challenge China’s enforced silence surrounding Tibet": www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...
hrw.org
Don’t Forget Tibet on Anniversary of 1959 Lhasa Uprising
Nearly seven decades since the 1959 uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the Chinese government still treats March 10 with vigilance.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
... argues that govts, instead of continuing to sideline rights, should weave them into trade and other policies to deny China from continuing to turn repression into competitive advantages www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Trump has spurred a rush to China for trade salvation. That shouldn’t sacrifice human rights
‘Pragmatism’ cannot mean building unconditional trade ties with a Chinese government that engages in widespread human rights violations
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The rush to China trade "–meant to survive Trump’s chaos–may instead hasten the arrival of the China Century, one in which Beijing dominates not only geopolitics but its repressive approach to domestic governance becomes the global norm." My op-ed: www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Trump has spurred a rush to China for trade salvation. That shouldn’t sacrifice human rights
‘Pragmatism’ cannot mean building unconditional trade ties with a Chinese government that engages in widespread human rights violations
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Margaret McCuaig-Johnston @mmccuaig-johnston.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
. @mayawang.bsky.social of @hrw.org in the @theglobeandmail.com : “Mr. Carney is right that middle powers need to co-operate. But a more honest “pragmatism” begins with recognizing that widespread human rights violations by a trading partner generate economic, security and governance risks.”
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Sense Hofstede @sensehofstede.nl · 23/02/2026
Blade defects at Three Gorges wind farm expose quality risks in China’s turbine boom – Caixin Global: ‘adding to concerns that China’s past installation rush and price wars are now surfacing as costly quality failures.’
caixinglobal.com
Blade Defects at Three Gorges Wind Farm Expose Quality Risks in China’s Turbine Boom
A repair tender covering 99 turbines in Inner Mongolia highlights mounting failures linked to the industry’s 2015-2016 installation rush and later price wars
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Turquoise Roof @turquoiseroof.org · 30/01/2026
Framing Hong Kong’s repression as “stability” risks legitimising authoritarian governance as an economic good, and words from democratic leaders matter far beyond Hong Kong and set precedents elsewhere.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Meanwhile, Chinese govt communique mentions Hong Kong, quoting Starmer as saying that the city's a "unique [UK-China] bridge". So on an issue the UK presumably cares about, it has ceded rhetorical grounds to Beijing. www.fmprc.gov.cn/zyxw/202601/... There's still time, and we're watching.
fmprc.gov.cn
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
The UK’s 1st press release on Starmer's visit is all about business (no Hong Kong, no human rights): www.gov.uk/government/n.... Formality matters in diplomacy, esp when it comes to China.
gov.uk
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
When pressed by journalists, British PM Keir Starmer said he *mentioned* Jimmy Lai to Xi. He didn't seem to have called for Lai's release: www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
scmp.com
Starmer stresses Hong Kong’s stability as key to stronger ties in meeting with Xi
Meeting focused on shared interests to bolster Sino‑British relations, with Jimmy Lai’s national security case also touched upon in ‘respectful’ discussions.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Chinese govt has detained the leader + key members of underground Protestant church, the Early Rain Covenant Church. There's been a string of arrests of members of prominent “house churches” in China in past year. They should be freed, faith isn't a crime: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
hrw.org
China: New Arrests at Underground Protestant Churches
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
China’s government has long sought to silence dissent abroad, but recently there’s been a disturbing escalation: harassment through sexually explicit letters targeting activists outside the country www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...
hrw.org
Sexual Harassment of Chinese Critics Abroad
China’s government has long sought to silence dissent abroad, but recently there’s been a disturbing escalation: harassment through sexually explicit letters targeting activists outside the country.
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Sarah Sax @sarahlsax.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
The second is a deep dive into the numbers - and lives - behind China's renewable energy surge by @wang-seaver.bsky.social and @tednordhaus.bsky.social. --> www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/greenwashi...
breakthroughjournal.org
Greenwashing With Chinese Characteristics
China's "Green Electrostate" Is Neither
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Sarah Sax @sarahlsax.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Two great pieces just dropped that lift the veil on the story of China as a "green" saviour. Worth the read! First one by @sophiedrich.bsky.social @climaterights.bsky.social on what China showed - and obfuscated - at the most recent COP. climaterightsinternational.substack.com/p/china-cop3...
climaterightsinternational.substack.com
China COP30 Cop Out
By Sophie Richardson
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
At a summit dominated by two leaders who have demonstrated such utter hostility to the international system, human rights & democratic principles, how should democratic countries respond? With courage and conviction. By me & John Sifton: thediplomat.com/2025/10/trum...
thediplomat.com
Trump, Xi Attacks on Rights a Challenge for APEC Summit
At a summit dominated by two leaders who have demonstrated utter hostility to the international system, human rights law, and democratic principles, how should rights-respecting, democratic countries ...
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Extensive research shows while autocracies eg China "sometimes achieve rapid gains, they also produce volatility, repression, & data manipulation", on balance democracies "offers the strongest odds for healthier, more stable, and prosperous societies" www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/wha...
journalofdemocracy.org
What Democracy Does . . . And Does Not Do | Journal of Democracy
People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier…
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Among the strongest words we've heard from Zelenskyy on China since the war began
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
EV investment in the US tumbled by a third in the last quarter, the Clean Investment Monitor from Rhodium Group & MIT shows. Under Trump, the US is unilaterally surrendering the global EV market to China (and others). It risks turning the US into the Galapagos Islands of cars. on.ft.com/4nlRcly
on.ft.com
US risks losing more ground to China in EV race as investment tumbles
White House backing for petrol-based cars poses dilemma for many automakers
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
What a striking vignette about gender relations in China today: A feminist opened three women-only spaces three years ago-- as emergency shelter, reading group, and gathering place--and men came in and destroyed two of them. They may all have to close: chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7221...
chinadigitaltimes.net
聚姬地社交|我花了一百多万,把一个全女店开倒闭了。
过去三年,我把攒下的全部积蓄一百多万投进了一家全女空间。三年里做了三家店,如今两家已倒下,最后一家也不得不暂停营业。
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
人權觀察 Human Rights Watch @hrwchinese.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
中國政府剛剛主辦了「全球婦女峰會」。 在一個監禁女權運動者、把女性身體當作控制人口方式的地方舉行「婦女峰會」,不僅諷刺更令人感到冒犯。 這場峰會把女性權利當作營銷工具,並對女性觀點進行嚴密審查,而當前最迫切的議題,諸如基於性別的暴力(包括性騷擾和家庭暴力)以及生育自主權,大都遭到忽視或幾乎未見改進。 - 人權觀察 @mayawang.bsky.social
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
“Gao Zhen is facing years in prison for holding up a mirror to China’s past," @hrw.org's @elainepearson.bsky.social said. “The Chinese government should break away from its abusive past practices, drop the charges against Gao, and immediately release him.”
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Gao's father died in custody during the Cultural Revolution. As fellow Chinese artists noted in a public letter: "[The [police] has labeled Gao Zhen’s artistic creations as evidence of a crime, repeating the persecutions of the Cultural Revolution.”
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
After Gao fainted, doctor at the detention center said he may have arteriosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries, and that it could be “a precursor to a stroke.” Gao also suffers from a chronic back problem. He's held in a crowded cell with 14 others. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
hrw.org
China: Free US-Resident Artist Unjustly Charged
The Chinese government should drop the baseless charges against the artist Gao Zhen (高兟) and allow him and his family to return to the United States.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Gao's prosecuted for the crime of “slandering China’s heroes and martyrs”--introduced in 2021--for the well-known sculptures he made over a decade ago, before the crime existed. Under Xi, the Chinese government has tightened ideological control.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
❗️Detained Chinese artist Gao Zhen (高兟) is in poor health and had fainted in late Sept. Chinese govt should drop charges against the 69-year-old, allow him + his family to return to the United States. The Gaos are US green card holders & citizen. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
hrw.org
China: Free US-Resident Artist Unjustly Charged
The Chinese government should drop the baseless charges against the artist Gao Zhen (高兟) and allow him and his family to return to the United States.
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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
The Chinese govt's proposed draft "Ethnic Unity" Law would justify, intensify existing: ▶️ ideological controls ▶️ the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities, including by erasing minority language rights + ▶️foster control beyond China’s borders. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...
hrw.org
China: Draft ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law Tightens Ideological Control
A newly proposed law in China would provide a broad legal framework to justify existing repression and force assimilation of minority populations throughout the country and abroad.
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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social
Turquoise Roof @turquoiseroof.org · 29/09/2025
“ .. #Tibetans, #Uyghurs, and others who speak out for minority populations can expect even greater government repression.” @mayawang.bsky.social (HRW) www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...
hrw.org
China: Draft ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law Tightens Ideological Control
A newly proposed law in China would provide a broad legal framework to justify existing repression and force assimilation of minority populations throughout the country and abroad.
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