May, the National Human Rights Institute filed a new lawsuit relating to the torture of Víctor Queipul; the investigation for the second case was ongoing. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS In September a law entered into force decriminalizing abortion in three circumstances: when the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or girl; when the foetus is not viable; or when pregnancy is a result of rape. It also established the right to conscientious objection for medical professionals and institutions who choose not to perform abortions even in those circumstances. Guidelines for the implementation of the law were approved in December. Abortion continued to be criminalized in all other circumstances. RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE In August a criminal case filed against a judge for allowing the change of name and gender markers for a transgender girl was closed with all charges dropped. In June the Senate approved the Gender Identity Bill, which established the right of people over the age of 18 to have their gender identity legally recognized by changing their name and gender markers on official documents through an administrative process, without requiring gender reassignment surgery or medical certification. The bill was pending before Congress at the end of the year. In August the government filed a bill in the Senate establishing marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples in equality with different-sex couples. Amnesty International Report 2017/18 CHINA People’s Republic of China Head of state: Xi Jinping Head of government: Li Keqiang The government continued to draft and enact new laws under the guise of “national security” that presented serious threats to human rights. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo died in custody. Activists and human rights defenders were detained, prosecuted and sentenced on the basis of vague and overbroad charges such as “subverting state power” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. Police detained human rights defenders outside formal detention facilities, sometimes incommunicado, for long periods, which posed additional risk of torture and other illtreatment to the detainees. Controls on the internet were strengthened. Repression of religious activities outside state-sanctioned churches increased. Repression conducted under “anti-separatism” or “counterterrorism” campaigns remained particularly severe in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and Tibetan-populated areas. Freedom of expression in Hong Kong came under attack as the government used vague and overbroad charges to prosecute prodemocracy activists. LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL OR INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS Sweeping national security-related laws and regulations continued to be drafted and enacted, giving greater powers to the authorities to silence dissent, censor information and harass and prosecute human rights defenders. On 1 January the foreign NGO management law, whose provisions impeded independent operations of registered NGOs, came into effect. Foreign NGOs that had not yet registered and continued to operate in China could face a freeze on bank accounts, sealing of venues, confiscation of assets, suspension of activities and detention of staff. 125