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China: Courts used as tools of systematic repression against human rights defenders – Amnesty International

Source: Amnesty International

Chinese courts are systematically weaponizing vague national security and public order laws to silence human rights defenders, Amnesty International said today in a new report exposing the judiciary’s central role in sustaining the Beijing authorities’ crackdown on fundamental freedoms.

The research briefing, How could this verdict be ‘legal’?, published on China’s National Day, analyses more than 100 official judicial documents from 68 cases involving 64 human rights defenders over the past decade. It details how Chinese courts are rubber-stamping convictions against peaceful activists, journalists, lawyers, and ordinary citizens, often on the basis of their words, associations or international contacts.

“China’s leaders like to play up a message of international cooperation and commitment to the rule of law. The reality is, this masks a system in which Chinese courts operate as instruments of repression rather than justice when handling politically sensitive cases,” said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China Director.

“Human rights defenders in China are being treated as enemies of the state for no more than speaking out, organizing peacefully, or engaging with the outside world. Their bravery is met with prison, torture and sham trials.”

In over 90% of cases analysed in Amnesty’s research, courts relied on national security or public order provisions that are vague, overly broad and inconsistent with international standards. Charges such as “subversion of state power,” “inciting subversion,” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” were most frequently applied, enabling authorities to criminalize peaceful speech and association.

Courts frequently treated online expression – including blog posts, social media comments, or sharing human rights articles – as evidence of “subversion.”

International engagement was routinely cited as criminal activity. Giving interviews to foreign media, publishing articles on overseas websites, or attending NGO trainings abroad were presented as proof of “collusion with foreign forces”.

Meanwhile, fair trial rights were consistently violated: defendants were denied access to lawyers of their choice, subjected to prolonged pre-trial detention, or forced into “residential surveillance at a designated location” (RSDL) – a practice which amounts to enforced disappearance and can amount to torture or other ill-treatment.

In 67 of 68 cases reviewed where verdicts were issued, the result was guilty. All but three defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 18 months to 19 years.

Criminalizing fundamental freedoms

Amnesty found that Chinese courts systematically equated criticism of the government with threats to national security.

In one case, a human rights lawyer was convicted of “subversion” after representing clients in politically sensitive cases and supporting families of detainees. In another example, Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison for co-authoring Charter 08, a call for political reform. Women human rights defenders were also targeted. One activist was convicted of “inciting subversion” for publishing writings on women’s rights and land issues.

“[Authorities] can take whatever you do – any behaviour or action – and define it as criminal,” said one Chinese human rights lawyer interviewed for the report.

The research also documented prosecutions of labour rights activists for assisting workers in collective bargaining, and petitioners punished for submitting complaints to higher authorities. Peaceful assemblies were routinely prosecuted as “disrupting social order”.

International connections treated as crimes

In more than half of the cases reviewed, courts portrayed international engagement as evidence of criminality. Defendants were accused of “collusion” for receiving modest NGO funding, speaking to foreign journalists, or even renting servers overseas.

In one case, authorities argued that publishing articles on a blocked overseas website amounted to disrupting public order inside China, despite the website itself being blocked by China’s Great Firewall. In another, possession of publicly available policy documents was treated as “illegally providing state secrets abroad”.

“By making nearly all forms of contact with the international community a crime, China’s government is trying to cut off human rights defenders from the outside world. This is not national security; it is pure political control,” Sarah Brooks said.

“The criminalization of human rights defenders in China also has a chilling effect far beyond those directly targeted. By equating peaceful activism with national security threats, authorities aim to silence dissent across society.”

Systematic denial of fair trials

Amnesty found that every case it reviewed was tainted by violations of fair trial rights.

All 68 defendants were arbitrarily detained, many held incommunicado for months, and at least 15 were held under RSDL.

In 11 cases where lawyers raised torture allegations, courts dismissed them without investigation, often shifting the burden of proof onto defendants.

Meanwhile, trials were routinely closed to families, media, or diplomats under the guise of “state secrets”, even when charges had nothing to do with classified information and even in some cases where courts asserted that the trial had, in fact, been open.

In 67 out of 68 cases, courts handed down custodial sentences. Many included an additional punishment of “deprivation of political rights”, banning defenders from speaking, publishing, or organizing even after release.

‘Nobody is safe’

Amnesty International reiterates its longstanding calls on the Chinese government to repeal or substantially revise vague and overbroad provisions of the Criminal Law, such as “subversion” and “picking quarrels”, as well as the 2015 National Security Law.

It also urges authorities to abolish RSDL, end all forms of incommunicado detention and guarantee fair trial rights, including access to lawyers of choice and exclusion of evidence obtained through torture.

“The Chinese government must immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, or assembly,” Sarah Brooks said.

“When lawyers are jailed for defending clients, petitioners are punished for seeking justice, and writers are imprisoned for their words, the message is clear: nobody is safe. Yet still, Chinese human rights defenders persist – and the world must stand with them.”

Background

The report is based on Amnesty International’s analysis of 102 official indictments and verdicts from 68 cases involving 64 human rights defenders highlighted by UN human rights mechanisms between 2014 and 2024.

Read full report here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/0307/2025/en/

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BusinessNZ – NZ’s energy future looking a little brighter today

Source: BusinessNZ

A New Zealand energy strategy draws closer with the release of the long-awaited electricity market review and government action plan, the BusinessNZ Energy Council (BEC) says.
Acting Executive Director Ben Young says BEC welcomes two new workstreams created by government to deliver on their proposed policy changes, aimed at increasing investment in energy security and building stronger markets broadly across the sector.
“Many of the announced policy changes included in the plan have been advocated for by BEC and its members for some time, including all-of-government contracting and taking steps to address gas shortage concerns, with their solution being to fund the construction of an LNG terminal.
“Announced co-investment and procurement contracts will go a long way in addressing serious concerns from investors, who have previously lacked confidence in the stability of policy settings to commit.”
Young says it’s important that New Zealand stay the course on a future energy strategy across successive governments, but announced redress for any policy changes that effect a project’s viability will ultimately be paid for by the consumer, as taxpayers.
“We’re pleased to see the Government has not moved forward with the suggested forced amalgamation of the 29 existing electricity distributors down to just five. The suggestion as part of the Frontier Economics review would have introduced unnecessary costs and uncertainty at a time where rapid investment, at scale, is critical.
“BEC congratulates the Government on taking positive steps toward a brighter energy future for New Zealand, and looks forward to the planned consultation with industry to strengthen framework on reliability and resilience, soon.”
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.
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EMA – Government energy reforms bring little short-term relief for Kiwi businesses

Source: EMA

The EMA says the government’s response to today’s Frontier Economics report announcement on the electricity market was almost predictably underwhelming, given a number of recommendations in the report were never likely to go ahead.
The government has rejected eight of the 10 recommendations from the much anticipated and delayed release of the report, commissioned in the wake of the significant price spikes in electricity pricing during last winter.
“Options such as selling off the remainder of the government’s share in the gentailers and then investing, owning and running a ThermalCo (combining coal, diesel and gas assets), to provide the firming options to back new wind and solar generation, were never likely to fly,” says EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald.
“Nor was it likely to force the 29 electricity distribution companies to amalgamate into five entities (Three Waters anyone?), although some voluntary consolidation in that sector is often raised but yet to materialise.
“Renewed interest in a liquified natural gas import terminal will provide some relief, if it gets off the ground, but that requires infrastructure investment in a new import terminal and the landed gas will likely be nearly twice the price of what it is now.
“However, possibly providing some government investment or incentives to the existing generators, to provide thermal backing generation investment (most likely diesel and coal in the shorter term), may help underpin and back greater supply of renewables such as wind and solar.
“The theory behind deep-bore geothermal supply sounds very promising, and we should get on with that, but new hydro generation, another renewable option, seems to have been ruled out as too environmentally difficult.”
McDonald says, longer term, the government and the generation sector were already taking steps to address a current generation market that sees the supply v demand equation kept right on the margin, with prices set by the most expensive generation option – Huntly coal.
“That’s one reason for looking at the regulatory regime, also included in the Frontier Report but rejected by government. Consolidating the roles of the Electricity Authority (EA), the gas industry regulator and the involvement of the Commerce Commission in the market could have helped reorient the market dynamics.
“Under the current market settings, we’ve gone from attracting international business with low electricity costs to de-industrialisation and the closure of our own businesses as a result of higher domestic electricity pricing. Internationally, our pricing is reasonable but that’s no help to local businesses experiencing price shocks of 30%, 50% or more, as they seek to renew supply contracts.
“Industry moves to shore up coal supply and keep the ageing Rankine engines on stream at Huntly for another 10 years provides some certainty around ongoing thermal (coal) backing for new renewable supply.
“Elsewhere, the fast-track consenting regime, which probably needs to move faster, will bring more renewables such as solar and wind on-stream. Meanwhile, continually improving battery technology provides better storage for those renewables when there’s no wind or little sun.
“The fast-track regime also needs to apply to connecting new generation to the Transpower-operated national grid and the new RMA is also addressing connection issues. Transpower needs to be more efficient and faster at providing new grid exit points to better connect new generation to growing demand centres.
“At least one new gas find is being brought on-stream, and predictions are a major gas user will exit the market in the next 12 months freeing up more supply. Also, at least one new gas exploration company has applied for access to potential gas reserves for drilling, with another possibly having a closer look.
“The short-sighted ban on gas exploration, without a fully prepared transition plan, continues to bite industry when many other jurisdictions are using gas as the transition fuel of choice.
“New Zealand’s choices seem to be either more coal or diesel, with the opposition stubbornly clinging onto reintroducing the ban if re-elected. This continues to have a cooling effect on gas exploration. It will take time to bring on new supply, if found. But if you don’t look, you certainly won’t find any new gas.”
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Greenpeace – Luxon’s Trump-like energy policy heads down a fossil fuel dead end

Source: Greenpeace

The energy policy initiatives announced by the Luxon Government today are a desperate attempt to revive fossil fuels, which have spectacularly failed to provide New Zealand with cheap or reliable energy, and which are destroying the climate.
The Luxon Government today announced its long awaited energy initiatives, which included Government subsidies for a fossil gas (LNG) import facility, subsidies for new fossil fuel generation, and re-announced subsidies for fossil fuel exploration.
“While China and much of the world embraces low cost solar and wind energy, Luxon and Trump are doubling down on government subsidised ‘drill baby drill’ policies to support fossil fuel companies,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman.
“New Zealanders will pay the price for Luxon’s Trumpian energy policy with higher electricity bills, less energy security, higher taxes, and more climate pollution.
“We have the opportunity to embrace cheaper renewable generation with low carbon emissions. Generating our own energy from renewables is not only good for the climate, it is also necessary to save our economy from a wave of deindustrialisation driven by high priced fossil fuel energy.
“Fossil fuel dependence is expensive, with the gas industry’s own study finding LNG-fuelled electricity costs more than renewables, and it locks us into endlessly paying for more imported fossil fuels with volatile prices. And of course it would take years if it was ever built.
“The Luxon Government has systematically undermined New Zealand’s transition away from unreliable, expensive fossil gas. It abandoned the NZ Battery Project designed to provide long term storage and security to our energy system. It closed the Government Investment in Decarbonisation Industry fund which was helping industry cut its fossil gas use. It stopped work on the Gas Transition Plan which was specifically designed to move on from fossil gas. And it blocked huge offshore wind generation by fast tracking seabed mining.
“The decision to give $200m in government subsidies for more gas exploration, while weakening the laws regulating end-of-life decommissioning costs for oil fields, are subsidies to oil and gas companies. These subsidies will cost New Zealanders dearly.
“Luxon’s War on Nature is not only terrible for the planet, it is expensive. Greenpeace will continue to defend nature – bring on the sun!”
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Northland News – Consents for three experimental ‘ocean gardens’ granted

Source: Northland Regional Council

Resource consent has been granted for three experimental Northland ‘ocean gardens’ that will be used for research that ultimately aims to feed whanau and repopulate local fish and seafood stocks.
Applicants NgātiWai Ki Whangaruru Whenua Topu Trust, Kaingahoa Marae and the Otetao Reti Marae applied as a group to the Northland Regional Council for each to use one hectare of marine space to undertake non-commercial, marae-based aquaculture activities.
The council processed the non-notified applications for the initiatives dubbed ‘māra moana’ (ocean gardens) together and consents were granted today (subs: Wednesday 01 October) for a term of a 35-years.
One of the māra moana is proposed for Whapukapirau Bay in the outer Bay of Islands and is associated with the Kaingahoa Marae (Patukeha), another is proposed for Bland Bay, associated with NgātiWai Ki Whangaruru Whenua Topu Trust (Ngātiwai), while a third at Kauri Point in the Whangaruru Harbour is associated with the Otetao Reti Marae (Ngātiwai).
The aquaculture structures initially proposed for the māra moana are similar to conventional mussel farming backbone lines that will be secured in place with two-ton concrete mooring blocks. The backbones will have two surface lines separated by mussel buoys at regular intervals.
“These backbone longlines will act as a base structure to attach and support cultivation ropes and various equipment for research and spat collecting and grow out of mahinga kai species which may include various gastropod, bivalve crustacean and seaweed species.”
Each area will be progressively established by respective marae with the ultimate aim of improving traditional customary kaimoana provision for marae and developing methods for repopulating local fish and seafood stocks.
In its consent decision the council said the māra moana were within areas mapped in its Proposed Regional Plan (PRP) maps as ‘Aquaculture Exclusion Areas’ and ‘Significant Ecological Areas’. The proposed māra moana in Whapukapirau Bay was also located within a mapped Te Hā o Tangaroa Protection Area known as te Rākaumangamanga Rāhui Tapu.
However, the council says the PRP provides a rule for marae-based aquaculture in significant and development areas and the Te Hā o Tangaroa Protection Area rules did not apply to aquaculture activities.
It says the adverse effects on the environment of the māra moana had been determined to be no more than minor.
The proposed māra moana in Bland Bay and Kauri Bay are not located within an area identified in PRP maps as having either outstanding natural character or high natural character values. The māra moana in Whapukapirau Bay is located within an area mapped in the PRP as having high natural character.
The council says due to the small area to be occupied by the structures and the limited number of lines likely to be established, the effects on visual amenity and natural character at each location is likely to be low.
The māra moana structures and layout have also been specifically designed to be as open, passive and subsurface as possible in order to allow currents and waves to pass through.
The stocking densities of any species will not be high enough to have a more than minor impact on the quantity of nutrients and plankton consumed, and the quantity of waste generated will be low. Routine inspections of the māra moana by kaimahi will help ensure marine mammals are not caught in structures.
The council noted structures imported into the māra moana had the potential to act as a vector for marine pests. To ensure that these risks are minimised a Biosecurity Risk Management Plan for the establishment and operation of each māra moana has also been required as a condition of consent.
“The applicant has advised that the vessels will be launched and retrieved from the beach, (and) regularly inspected and cleaned.” “All equipment related to the farm, including spat devices or buoys to be deployed or retrieved from the farm will be transported by a local vessel.”
The council says Ngātiwai Trust Board, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Kuta each had an iwi/hapū environmental management plan relevant to the locations of this activity.
“These plans have been taken into account during the processing of the application and the granting of this consent is not considered to be contrary to the objectives and policies contained within these plans.”
The council says the presence and operation of the māra moana would not have adverse effects on any taiāpure, mātaitai or Māori non-commercial fisheries.
Their potential undue effects on commercial, recreational and customary fishing had also been separately considered by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) which had not amended the areas or conditions imposed by the council. 
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Health – Hāpai Te Hauora Launches "Blocktober" – Aotearoa’s First VapeFree Month

Source: Hapai Te Hauora

Vaping is a growing public-health issue across Aotearoa-particularly for Māori-with the rapid uptake among rangatahi the biggest concern. To confront this challenge, Hāpai Te Hauora is launching Blocktober. This is the first dedicated vapefree month in Aotearoa with a rangatahi-focused campaign tackling the issue head on. The campaign will tour six regions this October, combining dance, tikanga Māori, and education to empower young people with knowledge about the harms of vaping and the tools to support informed hauora decisions.
Recent studies show an alarming 480,000 adults in Aotearoa now vape daily.[1] To prevent this number from climbing further, we must invest in educating the next generation. This means equipping rangatahi with the knowledge and support to make healthier choices for their future.
At the heart of Blocktober is the idea that every choice we make shapes our hauora. BLOCK is an acronym guiding this kaupapa:
Who do our choices BENEFIT?
Does it enhance LIFE?
Does it align with ORANGA WHENUA/ORANGA TANGATA?
Am I making informed CHOICES?
What is my KAUPAPA that supports my wellbeing?
Blocktober 2025 marks the beginning of an annual national campaign to promote healthier, vapefree future in Aotearoa.
References
[1] Nip, Janine, Richard Edwards, Janet Hoek, Andrew Waa, Jude Ball, and Michaela Pettie. “Vaping prevalence and trends: Important findings from 2023-24 NZ Health Survey.” Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa. Accessed November 29, 2024.
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Health – Spotlight on the truth about alcohol and cancer in new digital campaign

Source: Alcohol Healthwatch

New Alcohol Healthwatch campaign launching in October highlights the link between alcohol and cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This digital campaign will share content across a range of platforms (including Tiktok and Reddit) and partner with influencers to talk about the issue.
“We have a simple goal,” says campaign lead Sarah Sneyd. “To shine a light on the truth about alcohol so people can make informed decisions about how much to drink.”
The alcohol industry work hard to keep us in the dark about this truth. They cast doubt on the research, spend millions on linking drinking to friendship, sports, and glamour, and lobby our politicians and officials to maintain favourable regulatory settings.
Associate Professor Andy Towers from Massey University agrees. “Evidence is clear that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. It’s important that the public have the truth of how alcohol harms our health, including causing hard to treat cancer like oesophageal and common cancers like breast and bowel.”
The campaign also seeks to highlight how the alcohol industry put our kids under a constant spotlight that’s hard for them to escape. Even small amounts can damage young people’s DNA and lead to cancer over time.
Despite this, alcohol is everywhere – in our neighbourhoods, at our local sports clubs, near our children’s school – being constantly advertised, making it hard for any of us to avoid its harms.
“It’s important for people to make their own, informed choices, but when we’re kept in the dark and our neighbourhoods are swimming in alcohol, our choices are diminished,” says Sneyd.
The campaign, launching 1 October, will feature across Alcohol Healthwatch’s Meta, Tiktok, X, and LinkedIn accounts.
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Energy Resources Aotearoa backs pragmatic energy security package

Source: Energy Resources Aotearoa

Energy Resources Aotearoa acknowledges the Government’s response to the electricity market review conducted by Frontier Economics, calling it a measured and pragmatic package that strikes the right balance between stability and action.
Chief Executive John Carnegie says the decision not to embark on wholesale reform will provide the sector with the predictability it requires to invest with confidence.
“The Government has rightly avoided plunging the sector into uncertainty by focusing on surgical, targeted changes. You don’t rebuild investor confidence by smashing market settings and starting again. For a sector building billions in new generation, stability matters.”
Carnegie says the real test of the package will be whether it delivers the firming capacity needed to keep the lights on.
“Frontier’s report made it clear: the market by itself won’t deliver the dry-year backup New Zealand needs. Households and businesses already know this after two shaky winters and a run of industrial closures.
Making firming the cornerstone of the response is the right call. New Zealand can double renewable generation by 2050, but without ensuring secure firming, we risk blackouts and higher costs.”
Carnegie cautiously supports the decision to run a competitive procurement process for a liquefied natural gas import facility.
“LNG is the oxygen mask for our energy system-life support that gives us breathing room while domestic gas supply recovers and new generation is built.
It may well be a vital insurance policy that could keep the wider energy system up and running in dry years, but LNG will come with risks that require careful management.
That’s why it’s essential we also create the right regulatory and cost conditions to ensure economic production of domestic natural gas for as long as possible. This will deliver security at a lower cost to consumers and smooth the transition as New Zealand moves towards a lower-carbon future.”
Carnegie also welcomed moves to reduce policy risk for investors and lift capital constraints on the Mixed Ownership Model companies.
“With sovereign risk reduced and the generator retailers now freer to raise and deploy capital, Ministers have made it clear they expect these companies to seek out and bring forward commercially sound opportunities for new generation and, critically, new firming capacity.
With that expectation backed by the prospect of Crown support for credible projects, mixed-ownership companies are now in a stronger position to move forward more quickly.”
Carnegie says the Government was wise to reject some of the more disruptive recommendations from Frontier, including creating a centralised ‘Thermalco’, removing electricity from the Emissions Trading Scheme, or forcing amalgamations of electricity distribution businesses.
“Maintaining the market architecture while sharpening incentives strikes the right balance. The sector is now on notice to deliver the affordable and reliable energy New Zealanders need.”
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Balance of payments and international investment position: Year ended 31 March 2025 – Stats NZ information release


This email was sent by Stats NZ, 8 Willis Street, Wellington, CBD 6011, New Zealand to nz@enz.mil-osi.com


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Climate – Warming oceans prompt major overhaul of how we monitor El Niño and La Niña

Source: Earth Sciences New Zealand

Global warming is changing how we monitor one of the world’s biggest climate drivers, says Earth Sciences New Zealand.
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a fluctuation of ocean temperatures and atmospheric pressure in the Pacific. It is made up of opposite phases – El Niño and La Niña – and has a considerable impact on global weather, including here in New Zealand.
Earth Sciences NZ meteorologist Chris Brandolino says as our climate and seas warm, they’re interfering with the long-standing method used to monitor the ocean component of ENSO.
“Traditionally, ENSO is tracked by measuring how unusually warm or cool sea surface temperatures are in certain areas of the Pacific. However, as the climate warms, so do our oceans, which can muddy the ENSO waters. As ocean temperatures increase, we can overstate the frequency of the warm phase of ENSO, or El Niño, and understate the cool La Niña phase,” said Chris.
For example, during summer 2024-25, the traditional Niño index (TONI) did not reach the threshold of -0.7°C to classify La Niña. However, La Niña-like conditions were still observed across New Zealand, with above average air temperatures, widespread marine heatwave conditions, and rainfall totals that were above normal in eastern areas and below normal in western areas.
“In response, we’re updating the way we calculate the sea surface temperatures anomalies, or difference from average, that help us track and forecast ENSO” says Chris.
The move follows a similar announcement by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology last month.
The new approach uses a method that assesses how unusually warm or cool ocean temperatures are in specific locations compared to the current tropical mean temperature (averaged between 20° south and 20° north).
“Had this been applied during summer 2024-25, the La Niña classification threshold would have been met, demonstrating how the updated methodology better reflects ENSO impacts in a warming climate,” says Chris.
While ENSO remains a key driver of climate variability in New Zealand, it is only one part of a complex system.
For the most reliable guidance on expected rainfall and temperature patterns in the coming season, refer to our Seasonal Climate Outlook, which is due out tomorrow.