As far as the eye can see, young pro-democracy protestors have taken to the streets of central Hong Kong to demand the right to elect freely the next chief executive of the territory. The students’ speeches, songs and placards celebrate the freedoms they want to enjoy. Beijing has announced restrictions for the 2017 election – which…Continue reading Hong Kong: the spirit of freedom
Tag: China
CONFERENCE: Challenging the Oppression of Lawyers in Times of Conflict
On Wednesday 13 November 2013 the Human Rights Centre, School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast are hosting a one day conference entitled ‘Challenging the Oppression of Lawyers in Times of Conflict’. It is open to anyone interested in conflict studies, politics, international relations, human rights, international law, justice and transitional justice. SPEAKERS…Continue reading CONFERENCE: Challenging the Oppression of Lawyers in Times of Conflict
China: challenges for the new leaders – and our own
About 130 million people voted in the recent US elections. In contrast, just 2,270 delegates to the Chinese Communist Party Congress met to choose the new leadership of the world’s most populous country. While the Chinese leaders met in Beijing, Northern Ireland’s leaders were heading to Shanghai to front an InvestNI trade mission. The First…Continue reading China: challenges for the new leaders – and our own
A China to be proud of…
As Northern Ireland’s First Minister and deputy First Minister prepare to travel to China for the first of two proposed trips, we are pleased to publish this guest post, courtesy of Amnesty International, by LI Jianhong (pen-name ‘Xiao Qiao’). She is an exiled freelance writer who longs to return home. As a new generation of…Continue reading A China to be proud of…
Death penalty-free world?
We’re winning! That’s not a claim you may hear too often from human rights activists, but in the case of the global struggle against the death penalty, it’s true. The momentum around the world is towards ending executions. The vast majority of countries have now abandoned the death penalty. On the eve of World Day…Continue reading Death penalty-free world?
University of Ulster: “part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up”
It’s a big day for the University of Ulster as it welcomes senior Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Liu Yandong to officially launch its Confucius Institute. While promoted as independent educational and cultural bodies, the Confucius Institutes have perhaps been more accurately described as “an important part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up.” Who said that? Some…Continue reading University of Ulster: “part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up”