China: Judicial guidelines to curtail activism for Taiwan a further blow for human rights protections

Amnesty International and four other organizations are alarmed by the recent publication by the Chinese authorities of new judicial guidelines providing directives to prosecute and harshly punish, including by the death penalty, those advocating and acting for Taiwan’s independence. The guidance effectively encourages China’s courts and law enforcement agencies to violate several rights established under international human rights law and standards, including the rights to life, to the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and to a fair trial.