

On June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts may not hear human rights claims under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and that aiding-and-abetting claims are not actionable under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). This represents a major shift in U.S. human rights litigation which will significantly restrict victims’ options to seek accountability from actors who assist foreign governments in carrying out human rights abuses.
This report covers the period from January 1 to April 30, 2026 and documents the multiple difficulties faced by Chinese lawyers in the course of their practice, including administrative suppression, obstruction of client meetings, denial of the right to observe court proceedings, and internal governance of lawyers’ associations.
In May, new reporting emerged on tools being developed by Chinese private companies for government surveillance, data collection, and analysis, and even predicting future behavior. AI-powered harassment of human rights defenders and dissidents has also seen a noticeable increase in recent months, including AI deepfakes used against female activists.