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mayawang.bsky.social

@mayawang.bsky.social

1.4K followers 75 following 170 posts

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

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · May 30

There's "a fragile but emerging global coalition that joins far-right elements in the United States, Russia, and China". New piece by @masonlwong.bsky.social and me on rising far-right in China + cross-fertilization between them & those elements in Russia, US foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/29/c... THREAD

American Far-Right Views Are Welcome in China

Racists in the United States and Chinese nationalists share common ground.

foreignpolicy.com

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 4h

“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.”

mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 4h

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 · 4h

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...

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.

www.hrw.org

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 4h

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 · 4h

❗️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...

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.

www.hrw.org

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 8d

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...

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.

www.hrw.org

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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social

Turquoise Roof @handle.invalid · 9d

“ .. #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...

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.

www.hrw.org

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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social

人權觀察 Human Rights Watch @hrwchinese.bsky.social · 17d

#張雅笛被捕是「一件 #跨國鎮壓案例。中國留學生的抗爭行動恐怕已遭嚴密監控。它的影響是使每個人都對自己的一言一行感到十分擔心，包括在中國國外。」- 人權觀察 @mayawang.bsky.social 對《自由亞洲電台》表示：

www.rfa.org/english/chin...

A Chinese international student and activist goes missing during a trip home

Zhang “Tara” Yadi disappeared on July 30. Rights groups fear she will face national security charges on Tibet.

www.rfa.org

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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social

Turquoise Roof @handle.invalid · 18d

Our latest case of #transnationalrepression: a young Chinese woman studying in France has disappeared some seven weeks ago while on a trip to visit her family in Hunan province.

She is an editor for the digital platform “Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet” (CYST)
www.tibetanreview.net/chinese-intl...

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 21d

‼️ A Chinese student has been missing during her visit home due to her activism for Tibetan rights while studying in France.

Lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who represents her, has been taken into custody during a meeting with her parents.

French govt should press for their freedom.

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 26d

As people in China, including many young people, tighten their belts, dumpster-diving (or more precisely, picking vegetables thrown out by wholesale veggie sellers, 捡菜) has become a fashionable trend:

mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · 29d

For years there are allegations of the spread of China's Great Firewall (especially by Myanmar activists) but there had been no concrete proof--until now. This looks like an incredibly important contribution: www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

Leaked files show a Chinese company is exporting the Great Firewall’s censorship technology

Geedge Networks is providing censorship capabilities to foreign governments, including those in Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social

Yalkun Uluyol @yalkun.bsky.social · Sep 5

I'll speak at a #HRC60 side event on human rights in China, alongside Mary Lawlor, Rizwangul NurMuhammed, and Sophie Richardson, moderated by Raphael Viana David. We'll discuss the chilling effects of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in China on human rights and offer recommendations.

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Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social

Tibet Network @tibetnetwork.bsky.social · Sep 5

While the world celebrated the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama this July, Tibetans inside Tibet faced brutal repression- owning a photo, singing in his honour, or organising a simple prayer can lead to arrest, torture, or disappearance under Chinese occupation

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Sep 5

"Some diplomats asked me if it is still worth making public statements about abuses in Xinjiang...The answer is a resounding yes." Heartbreaking and personal by
@yalkun.bsky.social China's committed crimes against humanity and should be held accountable: thehill.com/opinion/inte...

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Sep 4

"A government can’t half care about human rights. And Australia’s ‘disagree where we must’ approach with China enables abuse and undermines [Australia's] national interest." Excellent piece by my colleague @dgavshon.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/law/commenti...

Daniel Andrews’ photo with dictators is a glaring reminder of Australia’s hypocrisy on human rights | Daniela Gavshon

A government can’t half care about human rights. And Australia’s ‘disagree where we must’ approach with China enables abuse and undermines our national interest

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by mayawang.bsky.social

人權觀察 Human Rights Watch @hrwchinese.bsky.social · Sep 3

就在 #中國共產黨紀念二戰勝利80週年並大秀軍事實力的同時，批評中共惡劣人權記錄的聲音也日益高漲。

從 #彭立發和2022年 #白紙運動，到湖南 #方藝融、四川 #梅世林的布條抗議行動，再到今個月在重慶、北京各地陸續出現的反習標語，這些抗爭的共通點是：即使中國政府鎮壓日益緊迫，仍然不斷出現無畏的公民，甘冒巨大風險，公開批評習近平並要求民主改革。

中共盛大的閱兵背後，掩藏著中國共產黨高壓統治的潛在弱點：在執政超過70年後，中共依然最害怕自己的人民，只因他們屢屢以勇敢的行動要求民主與人權。

@mayawang.bsky.social

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Sep 3

Yes there's the state-of-the-art weaponry, yes there are the goose-stepping soldiers. But beneath this show of strength of a dictators' club, there is an enduring anxiety: of the people standing up for their rights. My modest piece: www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

China’s Military Pageantry Masks Popular Discontent

As the Chinese government celebrated the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II and the country’s military might this week, criticism of the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights record ...

www.hrw.org

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Aug 28

See also: @hrw.org's work on prison figures www.hrw.org/news/2021/02... and www.hrw.org/news/2022/09...

China: Baseless Imprisonments Surge in Xinjiang

(New York) – The Chinese government has increased its groundless prosecutions with long prison sentences for Uyghurs and other Muslims in recent years in China’s Xinjiang region.

www.hrw.org

mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Aug 28

Young Chinese scholar of Uyghur culture, missing since 2018, is reportedly sentenced to 15 years in prison hrichina.substack.com/p/young-chin... This stunningly harsh sentence is in fact typical during Xinjiang's abusive crackdown, where baseless prison terms are *12.5 years on average*.

Young Chinese Scholar Missing Since 2018 After Conducting Research on Uyghur Culture

Feng Siyu, a young scholar from Zhejiang, was once admitted to 17 of the world’s top universities and celebrated in Chinese media as an exceptionally gifted student. Yet since her arrest in 2018,…

hrichina.substack.com

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Aug 27

Thanks @CDTChinese for the link: chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7207... and mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAx...

mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Aug 27

China refuses to release the environmental assessment report of the world's largest dam, claiming it's a "state secret." It said earlier that the dam, being built in Tibet and will have impact on India + Bangladesh, is "a safe project that prioritises ecological protection".

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Aug 27

"That Xi felt compelled to overshadow the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday with a carefully choreographed display of power only reveals Beijing's enduring anxiety: Tibet remains less a success story of integration than a fragile frontier" asia.nikkei.com/opinion/xi-j...

Xi Jinping's visit to Tibet exposes China's fragile frontier

Chinese leader's attempt to overshadow the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday reveals insecurity to the watching world

asia.nikkei.com

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Aug 26

What these poorly-built projects have in common: corruption, lack of transparency, using low quality materials, forged documents, i.e. common practices in China due to no democracy, free press, civil society to hold companies accountable. Authoritarianism has very real costs.

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mayawang.bsky.social @mayawang.bsky.social · Aug 26

Other poorly constructed projects along China's Belt and Road includes an airport in Nepal: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/b..., a railway station roof that collapsed in Serbia: www.reuters.com/world/six-ar..., a building in Thailand that also collapsed: www.cnn.com/2025/08/07/a...

China-Built Airport in Nepal Was Littered With Corruption, Inquiry Finds

A Nepali investigation blamed lawmakers and officials for looking the other way. The $216 million airport receives only one international flight a week.

www.nytimes.com

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