China Expands Exit Bans, India Detains Umar Khalid, and more.

China is expanding its use of exit bans, giving the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) another tool to restrict movement and extend repression beyond its borders. New regulations take effect on Sept. 15, broadening the regime’s power to prevent people, including foreign nationals, from leaving the country.

The new rules tie exit bans to vaguely defined “national security” interests and, in many cases, allow officials to withhold notice, further entrenching an opaque system with little accountability or due process.

Travelers to China already face the risk of surveillance, interrogation, arbitrary detention, and exit bans under the CCP’s sweeping national security laws. These latest regulations only deepen those risks.

HRF’s latest analysis explains what the new regulations mean and outlines practical steps travelers can take to reduce their exposure. Read more.

Six years ago on Sept. 13, Umar Khalid — an Indian human rights defender known for his advocacy on behalf of minorities and marginalized groups — was taken into custody. HRF is calling on India to release him immediately and without conditions.

Khalid was detained on Sept. 13, 2020, under India’s broadly worded anti-terrorism statute, after emerging as a leading voice in nationwide peaceful demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act — legislation that excludes Muslims from a fast-tracked path to Indian citizenship.

After HRF filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Working Group determined that Khalid’s detention is arbitrary, concluding that it “resulted from his legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and participation in public affairs.”

HRF strongly condemns Umar Khalid’s continued arbitrary detention and joins his family in demanding his immediate release. #UmarKhalid @FreeUmarKhalid1 #UmarKhalid6YearsOfInjustice

Chow and Lee were sentenced for helping organize Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen vigil and advocating to “end one-party dictatorship.” They were convicted of “incitement to subversion.” Chow received 7 years and 3 months and Lee 7 years. Former lawmaker Albert Ho received 5 years and 2 months after pleading guilty.

For decades, tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong to commemorate those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Beijing’s National Security Law has criminalized this tradition, dismantling one of the city’s most prominent spaces for peaceful assembly.

The prosecution of Chow, Lee, and Ho reflects Beijing’s broader campaign to erase the memory of Tiananmen and silence dissent in Hong Kong. HRF stands with the people of Hong Kong and urges governments to demand their release and hold officials accountable.