Sophie Richardson

Graphic titled “Defending Dignity & Claiming Rights – 61st session of the Human Rights Council.” It features a quote by UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor: “Many states perceive human rights defenders as the problem, and instead of trying to address the issue defenders highlight, they try to silence them. No one is born a human rights defender. They are sculpted into one by the injustice they witness in their society.” A black-and-white portrait of Mary Lawlor appears in the lower left. At the bottom, boxed text indicates that her full report is available at www.srdefenders.org.

Many states perceive human rights defenders as the problem, and instead of trying to address the issue defenders highlight, they try to silence them.

No one is born a human rights defender. They are sculpted into one by the injustice they witness in their society. #HRC61

Previous @chrdnet.bsky.social rsch showed a disproportionate number of #humanrights defenders over 60 in #China govt #arbitrarydetention.

🆕 rsch details the compounding harm of #pensiondenials.

Think of them next time #XiJinping claims to respect older ppls’ rights!

www.nchrd.org/2026/03/chin...

Le 10 mars, nous commémorons le soulèvement tibétain de 1959 contre l’occupation chinoise et marchons pour la liberté du Tibet ✊🏼 Six des principales associations tibétaines de France se rassemblent pour commémorer cette date, honorer nos héros et soutenir les droits humains au Tibet. Place de la République → Place de la Bastille 14h30 – 18h Bhoe Gyalo ! #FreeTibet

New Event!
📆10th March
🕝14:30 CET

6 Tibetan groups inc @sftparis.bsky.social will commemorate the 1959 Tibetan uprising with "March against the occupation" from Place de la République to Place de la Bastille in Paris.

Details:
www.instagram.com/p/DVN89p1DBB_

Near-blind Rohingya refugee dies after US agents left him far from home Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was a nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Rakhine state in Myanmar, family members said.

The weekend is almost here #MilkTeaAlliance & here is the events🧵for it, tis a busy one!

To start, The news of a near-blind Rohingya Refugee dying after being dumped in the cold after being detained by US Border control is horrific. Refugees need protection not more persecution.
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UN Human Rights Office Indigenous Peoples and the right to a healthy environment in ChileRead the story

🔥🚨"Justice cannot be pursued in silence."
13 @UN_SPExperts from 5 mandates call out #China govt's "blatant breach," "gross #humanrights violations" on 1st anniversary of Beijing's forcing the return of--and then #disappearing--40 #Uyghurs.

ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

What to Watch at China's Two Sessions in 2026 Neil Thomas and Lobsang Tsering preview watchpoints for the Government Work Report and the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Helpful read from @asiasociety.org Lobsang Tsering and @neilthomas123.bsky.social on the upcoming NPC session in Beijing, complete with a sobering bar charts on Xi Jinping's security targets and NPC delegate purges by province.
asiasociety.org/policy-insti...

Why Beijing Thinks Jimmy Lai Is a Dangerous Criminal | Journal of Democracy Newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai was just sentenced to twenty years in prison. His persecution offers a window into how freedom has been undone in Hong Kong. It should be a warning to us all.

Michael Davis on #Hongkong prosecution of #JimmyLai: "In an age when political leaders in many democracies are promoting a similar illiberal agenda, it raises questions about the survival of basic freedoms and the consequences that follow when they fail."

www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...

We just published working papers by our third cohort human rights, law, and democracy fellows: global.upenn.edu/future-of-us.... Please join us for a live and recorded webinar with these authors on Friday, February 27 from 12-1 PM ET. Registration link at the QR code on the poster below:

Jimmy Lai: Hong Kong tycoon wins appeal against fraud conviction The 78-year-old Lai, however, remains detained for a separate national security case.

From woe to go the Chinese and Hong Kong govts’ persecution/persecution of publisher Jimmy Lai has been profoundly politicized. A small win to see acknowledgment that a judge “erred,” but let’s be clear: they all have. Lai should be freed immediately and unconditionally.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Why should the UN human rights chief map out concrete steps on the Chinese government’s unrepentant human rights violations?

Because doing so could save lives, assure victims and survivors they aren’t forgotten, take a stand for accountability.

Also: that’s the job.

www.nchrd.org/2026/02/unit...

The rotten tail of China’s property bust Officials want to spread the pain as widely as possible

“A small number dared to stage open protests, though officials cracked down swiftly on those.”

The rotten tail of China’s property bust
economist.com/china/2026/0...
from The Economist

Have Spanish solar companies somehow managed to figure out how to avoid being implicated in the use of forced labor in these sectors in China? Eager to read their human rights due diligence strategies…

#轉載 #活動推介 《鐵鏈中的黎智英》社區放映 黎智英被判刑廿年，於香港成長的澳洲人權律師Mark Tarrant 一直以藝術與影像回應黎智英被囚處境，本片以霓虹藝術裝置「Jimmy Lai in Chains」為主軸，記錄該作品於澳洲悉尼公開展出的過程，透過作品關注香港在《國安法》下的人權與法治狀況。 ｜短片資料 片名：《鐵鏈中的黎智英》 英文片名：Hong Kong Neon – Jimmy Lai in Chains 片長：31分鐘 類型：紀錄短片 導演／製作：Mark Tarrant 放映完畢後，導演兼監製 Mark Tarrant 將會同大家進行網上分享及 Q&A。 免費入場 不設劃位 請出示確認電郵作為登記憑據 報名連結：見留言

New Event!
📆28th Feb
🕒3pm AEDT

Victoria HongKonger's hold screening of "Hong Kong neon - Jimmy Lai in Chains" & Q&A with Director & Producer Mark Tarrant

Details:
www.facebook.com/victoriahong...

China’s Erasure of Ethnic Minority Languages China’s linguistic assimilation campaign continues to advance.

🇨🇳 This past Saturday was #InternationalMotherLanguageDay — a reminder that #XiJinping 's assimilationist strategy is alive and well. Language restrictions erode community, identity, and culture with one goal: erasure.
Op-ed by @sophiedrich.bsky.social : thediplomat.com/2026/02/chin...

She Couldn’t Defend Herself, but He Wasn’t Charged With Rape

“For many women, the prosecutors’ decision confirmed their fears about how far the government will go to promote childbearing.” She Couldn’t Defend Herself, but He Wasn’t Charged With Rape www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/w...

The Chinese Coal Offer Pakistan Couldn’t Afford But Didn’t Refuse - Inside Climate News Leaders insisted China-backed coal deals would fix Pakistan’s energy crisis. But the power plants have threatened residents’ health and left the nation in a debt trap.

“China describes its Belt and Road investment campaign as a major win for lower-income countries long exploited by the West. But a number of the projects have harmed surrounding communities, an investigative series by @insideclimatenews.org found.”
insideclimatenews.org/news/2501202...

Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China UK businesses will have more opportunities to grow and expand into the Chinese market, bolstering growth and supporting jobs at home.

I can’t help but think that Akmal Shaikh, Neil Heywood, and Jimmy Lai—British citizens done horribly wrong by #China govt—might have or have had a very different take on such “opportunities.” www.gov.uk/government/n...

Myanmar’s military choreographs an election, with Beijing’s help With war raging in large parts of the Southeast Asian country, the junta staged a vote to cement its power.

Tweak to headline: world’s largest anti-democratic govt enables a similarly-inclined military regime.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

This is very disturbing: The Hong Kong gov punishes a father in order to silence his daughter overseas - the human rights activist Anna Kwok, using "national security" tool. The HK gov has committed a blatant case of transnational repression and collective punishment.

Hong Kong Court Sentences Jimmy Lai to 20 Years

📰 “ #Beijing has shown its willingness to let defenders die in detention, an extreme tactic to try to silence their peaceful advocacy for human rights,” said @adatt.bsky.social, research & advocacy coordinator at #CHRD.
👉 www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...

Xi Jinping’s latest—and potentially lethal—attempt to jail free speech, this time in the form of Jimmy Lai, who has committed no crime.

A 20 year sentence for journalism: Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai has committed no crime. Those who denied his fair trial rights should be.

www.nchrd.org/2026/02/hong...

New event!
📆24th Feb
🕠5:30pm BKK Time

@seajunction.bsky.social hold report launch "In Peril at Sea: Migrant Workers in Southeast Asia's Blue Economy"

In person in BKK & FB live

Details:
seajunction.org/event/in-per...

Free Jimmy Lai!

www.nchrd.org/2025/08/hong...

Next up, a little inspirational music.
#nowspinning #vinyl #vinylcollection #theclash

Logos ID x Indonesia Bergerak x KontraS x Aksi Kamisan x Bereng Warga hold New order Political Class Zoom seminar Impunity as a systemic legacy of the new order. Date: February 8, 2026 19:30 WIB Speakers Usman Hamid (Amnesty International) Elizabeth Drexler (Associate Professor of Anthropology at Michigan State University) Bivitri Susanti (Lecturer at Jentera College of Law) Jane Rosalina (KontraS - Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence) Key Discussion Points: The systemic nature of impunity after the Reformation. How impunity affects Indonesia's political and socio-economic institutions after the Reformation. Perspectives from victims and their families. The ongoing struggle for truth and justice, and an end to impunity.

New event!
📆8th Feb
🕢19:30 WIB

Logos.id x Indonesia Bergerak x KontraS x Aksi Kamisan x @barengwarga-1.bsky.social hold New order Political Class, Zoom seminar:
"Impunity as a systemic legacy of the new order"

Details:
www.instagram.com/p/DUXCi9QDGUm

BREAKING: Hong Kong Federation of Students to disband after 68 years, citing 'increasing pressure' Hong Kong Federation of Students has announced plans to disband after 68 years in operation, citing "increasing pressure."

No independent-thinking organization too small for #China govt #XiJinping to pressure into disbanding in #HongKong.
hongkongfp.com/2026/02/05/b...

The Washington Post owner, following the cutting of VOA, RFA, is finish the job that #China's Xi Jinping has started: Silencing some of the best journalist reporting on #China from inside and then outside (after Xi shut the door).

Democracy dies in darkness imposed by dictators AND autocrats.

释放 #刘虎、 #巫英蛟
www.nchrd.org/2026/02/chin...