CRF 2004, No.3 - Human Rights for the Millions

In the Factories

• China's Workers and the World
  Union leader John Sweeney describes why the rights of Chinese workers are of vital interest to the rest of the world.
   
• From Mediation to Adjucation - Settling Labor Disputes in China
  Fu Hualing and D.W.Choy chart the increasing ineffectiveness of labor mediation under China's economic reform,and a growing trend of workers taking recourse in the courts.
   
• Labor and State Secrets
  HRIC and China Labour Bulletin examine how state secrets legislation is used to conceal the plight of China's workers, and prevents effective addressing of core problems.
   
• Chinese Labor Through the Eyes of the Chinese Media
  Hu Ping observes that Chinese workers are becoming more aware of their rights as the government's control over information about labor conditions is gradually eroded.
   

In Cyberspace

• The Rise of the Internet and Advancing Human Rights
  Sharon Hom, Amy Tai and Gabriel Nichols call for alliances of conscience that will ensure that the Internet and other advanced technologies function as a force for beneficial change rather than effective tools of repression in China.
   
• The Coming Crash of the Matrix
  Bill Xia examines a paradoxical situation in which the Chinese government's excessive censorship of information may eventually lead to a collapse of the entire system of control.
   
• On the Legitimacy of Subverting the Government
  This online essay was one of the main pieces of evidence used by Chinese authorities to convict Du Daobin of slander and subversion.
   
• Cutting the Devil's Tail - On Du Daobin's Literary Inquisition
  Zheng Yichun observes that Du Daobin's "lenient" suspended sentence in fact presents Chinese authorities with an effective means to discourage free expression.
   
• A Migration of Souls
  Ren Bumei, another harassed Internet essayist, reflects on the experience of internal exile.
   
• Curing Hong Kong's Political Ills
  Liu Xiaobo in this online essay calls on the Beijing government to take initiative in resolving its acrimonious relationship with the SAR.
   

In the Countryside

• The Diary of a Peasant Advocate
  Legal scholar Yu Meisun describes a day evading Public Security authorities as he seeks to assist peasants appealing to the central authorities over misappropriation of village funds.
   
• Modernization and the Peasants of Qingkou Town
  Zhao Yan, a journalist, has drawn official wrath with his muckraking stories about village corruption. This is one of them.
   
• Refuge in a Graveyard
  Sociologist Zhang Youjie recounts a panicked phone call from a peasant advocate under pursuit by the authorities.
   
• Plumbing a Black Hole of Corruption
  A petition by villagers of Zigong City, Sichuan Province alleges that a clique of local officials has absconded with the funds meant to compensate them for their land.
   
• Rule by Terror
  A translated excerpt from Chinese Peasantry: A Survey, by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao, describing a bloody conflict between corrupt officials and villagers defending their rights.
   

Regular Features

• Human Rights in China - Looking Ahead
  A conversation about developments in China and the need for new strategies in pressing for human rights and democratic reform.
   
• Cultural Reviews
  In Search of the Soul of Lin Zhao
  Jin Zhong on a new documentary about "China's Joan of Arc."
  
  Tilting at Windmills
  Tom Kellogg reviews Wild Grass: Three Stories of Change in Modern China, by Ian Johnson.
  
  Hope for a Greener China
  Andrea Worden reviews The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future, by Elizabeth Economy.
  
  The Beastly Poet of China
  Stacy Mosher reviews A Bilingual Edition of Poetry Out of Communist China by Huang Xiang, translated by Andrew G. Emerson.
   
• Resource List
   
• In Custody
  An Updated List of Imprisoned Labor Activists
   
• Prisoner Profile
  Liu Fenggang
   
• Action
  What you can do about the issues discussed.
   
• Bulletin
  HRIC's activities in May through early August 2004.
   
• News Update
   
• IR 2008 - Olympic Updates
  An update on contracts and sponsorships for the Beijing Olympics.