NewsRack: newstrust/Human-Rights/Human-Rights-Around-the-World/China

Deloire, Simon: Turkey leads the world in jailing journalists - Twincities.com: Opinion

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

President Barack Obama has consistently lavished praise on Recep Tayyip Erdogan, describing the Turkish prime minister as an "outstanding partner and an outstanding friend" and lauding his "great leadership" in promoting democracy in the Middle East. Erdogan has even won plaudits from the U.S. president for his "courageous steps" toward normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations and toward integrating minorities into the democratic process.

Jakarta Journal: Suharto’s Indonesian Legacy, 15 Years Later - International Herald Tribune: Front Page

By JOE COCHRANE — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Jakarta Journal: Suharto’s Indonesian Legacy, 15 Years Later

AP Impact: Myanmar sanctions list languishes - AP Business

By ERIKA KINETZ and MATTHEW PENNINGTON — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- If you're American and want to do business in Myanmar, there's a list of people and companies you have to steer clear of by law. But it leaves off a former minister's son U.S. officials suspected of brokering arms deals with North Korea, and high-rolling relatives of the man who led the repressive military government for 19 years....

Malaysia: Authoritarian Leader Lures Investors With Promise of “Responsible” Dams - International Rivers News RSS Feed

Kirk Herbertson — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

By: Kirk Herbertson Photo by: SAVE Rivers Network The Malaysian state of Sarawak is the new star of the global hydropower industry. Located on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, Sarawak is largely unknown around the world. Five years ago, Sarawak’s ruler Mr. Abdul Taib Mahmud announced that he will “transform Sarawak into a developed state” by building 12 large dams in the state’s remote, tropical forests. He argues that the dams will produce an abundance of cheap electricity, which will attract heavy industry and create jobs. Reuters has called Taib’s scheme “staggeringly ambitious,” especially since the dams will produce 450% more electricity than Sarawak currently needs. Mr. Taib’s scheme has caught the attention of the world’s leading hydropower companies. Next week, on May 20-25, Sarawak will host the industry’s world congress, which is organized every few years by the International Hydropower Association (IHA). The IHA’s mission is to demonstrate that large ...

Google receiving sensitive searches redirected from rival in Vietnam - San Jose Mercury News: Local News

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

A Russian-financed search engine seeking to challenge Google's dominance in Vietnam is redirecting queries for some politically sensitive terms to Google.

The EU and US must promote human rights worldwide – that includes China | Edward McMillan-Scott and Chen Guangcheng - Guardian: Comment is Free

Edward McMillan-Scott, Chen Guangcheng — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

It often appears there is one rule for small, insignificant countries and another for rising superpowers seen as 'strategic partners' "Open your newspaper any day of the week and you will find a report from somewhere in the world of someone being imprisoned, tortured or executed because his opinions or religion are unacceptable to his government." Those words were written 52 years ago in an Observer article by Peter Benenson , who would go on to found Amnesty International. Since then, the world has undergone profound changes. The iron curtain has fallen, democracy has taken root in eastern Europe, Latin America and much of Africa, and rapid advances in technology have made us more globally interconnected than ever before. Nonetheless, arbitrary imprisonment, torture and execution on political grounds remain commonplace. China, the world's rising superpower, continues to systematically engage in the political repression and torture of its citizens, with an estimated 7 to 8 million Chinese ...

Google challenger in Vietnam filtering results - Boston Globe: Technology

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Google challenger in Vietnam filtering results

Google challenger in Vietnam redirecting queries - Boston Globe: Technology

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Google challenger in Vietnam redirecting queries

Isn't it time for Holder & Co. to go? - NewsTrust Yahoo Pipes Feed

rss@dailykos.com (brooklynbadboy) — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Time to make for the exit. ...

Woman: China police ask to ax White House petition - Boston Globe: Latest

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Woman: China police ask to ax White House petition

UN assembly expected to approve Syria resolution - Twincities.com: Nation

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

UNITED NATIONS—The U.N. General Assembly is expected to approve Wednesday an Arab-backed resolution calling for a political transition in Syria

China tightens grip on discourse, ideology - Boston Globe: Latest

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

China tightens grip on discourse, ideology

China’s prostitutes routinely extorted, abused by police, report says - Washington Post: World

William Wan — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

BEIJING — Police raids on brothels in China have a pattern, sex workers say, often occurring a few days ahead of politically sensitive events or whenever someone in government orders an anti-pornography campaign to please the ...

Human Rights Watch: Sex workers in China subject to frequent police abuse, including torture - Star Tribune: World

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

HRW: Sex workers in China subject to police abuse - Boston Globe: Latest

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

HRW: Sex workers in China subject to police abuse

China's anti-prostitution policies 'lead to increase in abuse of sex workers' - The Guardian -- World Latest

Tania Branigan — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Human Rights Watch report says frequent drives against sex industry fail to curb trade and increase abuse of prostitutes China's high-profile crackdowns on prostitution have made sex workers more vulnerable to abuse by police and clients while failing to curb the trade, a new report says. Women described being assaulted by police and other security officials until they admitted to being sex workers, leading to them being fined or detained for up to two years without trial. One told Human Rights Watch: "I was beaten until I turned black and blue, because I wouldn't admit to prostitution." Another told the group: "They attached us to trees, threw freezing cold water on us, and then proceeded to beat us." The report, released on Tuesday, also detailed abuses including forced or coercive HIV testing and disclosure of HIV test results to third parties. Prostitution largely disappeared in the Mao era but has flourished since China's economic reforms began. The United Nations estimates ...

Editorial Board: Making China keep its promise to dissident Chen Guangcheng - Washington Post: Editorials

Editorial Board — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

JUST A WEEK or so ago, we raised the question on this page about whether the Chinese would keep their promise to investigate abuses against the family of Chen Guangcheng , the blind dissident lawyer who escaped from his illegal home detention in Shandong province last year, was sheltered briefly in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and eventually came to New York. We also questioned the commitment of the United States to keep the pressure on China to honor its pledge at the time Mr. Chen left the embassy and the ...

Proposed UN resolution backs transition in Syria - Twincities.com: Nation

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

UNITED NATIONS—An Arab-backed resolution calling for a political transition in Syria and strongly condemning the regime's escalating use of

Proposed UN resolution backs transition in Syria - Boston Globe: Latest

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Proposed UN resolution backs transition in Syria

Chen Guangcheng brother claims government-hired thugs attacked him - The Guardian -- World Latest

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Harassment of Chinese activist's family appears to have escalated further since anniversary of escape from house arrest The eldest brother of the Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng said he was beaten up by two men he said were government-hired thugs. The alleged attack on Thursday marks an escalation in harassment of Chen's family. Their treatment has already received prominent attention from the US in recent weeks and could cause further friction between Beijing and Washington over human rights. Chen Guangfu said he was beaten by unidentified men in what appeared to be the latest incident of harassment of the family since mid-April, around the anniversary of his brother's escape from 19 months of house arrest. Chen Guangfu, 56, said the pair punched and chased him as he was heading home to his village of Dongshigu, Shandong province. The men, who appeared well-dressed and in their 20s, according to Chen, jumped out of a black car and hit him repeatedly on the head. He said he was not ...

Brother of blind Chinese activist says he was beaten up - Chicago Tribune: Nation

Sui-Lee Wee — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Brother of blind Chinese activist says he was beaten up

A free internet: tech companies should promote democracy - The Guardian -- World Latest

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Access to the internet is key to development, businesses should take responsibility for protecting users' privacy and promote an open web In a world increasingly interconnected by the internet and technology, governments are progressively upping their efforts to control information, including its source and message. China's great firewall and censors control the flow of information to more than a billion people. During the height of protests against President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt unplugged itself from the internet completely. Syria experienced its own "unexplained" internet blackout coinciding with rising protests, and the US sought to censor the Wikileaks cable releases. But governments can't engage in monitoring, surveillance and censorship on their own. Western corporations are often complicit in these nefarious activities through the services and goods they provide. Efforts are under way to address this challenge. For instance, the Ranking Digital Rights initiative is rating ...

China detains activist Liu Ping on subversion charges - The Guardian -- World Latest

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Liu Ping is one of at least 10 activists who have been detained for campaigning for officials to publicly disclose their assets Chinese police have detained an activist agitating for officials to disclose their assets on subversion charges, her lawyer said on Wednesday, underscoring the limits of an anti-corruption push by President Xi Jinping. Xi, who became Communist party chief in November and president in March, has called for a crackdown on corruption, warning, as many have before him, that the problem is so severe it could threaten the party's survival. But China has detained at least 10 activists who have led a campaign for officials to publicly disclose their wealth – the first co-ordinated crackdown by the new government on activists, according to Maya Wang, a researcher with the Asia division at Human Rights Watch. The detention of Liu Ping, 48, makes her the first person to be singled out by the government for putting pressure on officials over their wealth. Police from ...

Israeli strike in Syria killed at least 42 soldiers, activists say - San Jose Mercury News: World

Sun, 05 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Israel's weekend airstrike on a military complex near the Syrian capital of Damascus killed at least 42 Syrian soldiers, a group of anti-regime activists said Monday, citing information from military hospitals.

Activists: Israeli strike kills 42 Syrian soldiers - Star Tribune: Latest

KARIN LAUB and JOSEF FEDERMAN — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT