China - February 2023
Hong Kong passes landmark gender recognition ruling
Hong Kong’s top court on 6 February ruled that a policy preventing transgender people from changing their gender on ID cards unless undergoing full sex reassignment surgery is a violation of their rights and is considered unconstitutional. The ruling is considered a historic milestone for expanding LGBTQIA+ rights in Hong Kong, with activists hoping that the ruling influences and opens doors for neighbouring Asian countries to follow suit.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Human Rights Watch, The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal
Accelerated assimilation campaign against Tibetans sparks concerns
Three UN human rights rapporteurs warned on 6 February that roughly 1 million Tibetan children have been separated from their families and forced into Chinese state-run boarding schools as part of efforts to absorb them "culturally, religiously and linguistically" into the dominant Han Chinese culture. Recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of residential schools operating in and outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region, which follows the closure of rural schools. Concerns have also been raised as to the continued persecution of Tibetan language rights advocates by the Chinese government.
Sources: UN News, International Campaign for Tibet