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In China sind vier kanadische Staatsbürger hingerichtet worden. Eindeutig bestätigt hat die Regierung in Peking das nicht - die Sprecherin des Außenministeriums, Mao Ning, sagte auf Nachfrage lediglich, China sei ein Rechtsstaat. Alle Angeklagten würden gleich behandelt, unabhängig von ihrer Nationalität - streng und fair, im Einklang mit dem Gesetz.

Die kanadische Seite solle aufhören, sich in die juristische Souveränität Chinas einzumischen, so die Sprecherin.

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Kein Land der Welt richtet mehr Menschen hin als China. Nach Schätzungen von Menschenrechtsorganisationen sind es mehrere Tausend im Jahr. Wie viele genau, ist Staatsgeheimnis.

Gerichtsverfahren in der kommunistisch regierten Volksrepublik entsprechen nicht den internationalen Standards für faire Prozesse. Sie finden häufig hinter verschlossenen Türen statt, fast alle Anklagen enden mit einer Verurteilung. Angeklagte und ihre Familienangehörigen werden nach Angaben von Beobachtern zudem oft eingeschüchtert, Geständnisse werden erpresst.

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Am Mittwoch teilte die kanadische Außenministerin Melanie Joly mit, dass vier kanadische Staatsbürger in diesem Jahr in China hingerichtet wurden. Gnadengesuche habe die chinesische Seite ignoriert.

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Weitere Details nannte die kanadische Außenministerin nicht. Sie wolle Rücksicht nehmen auf die betroffenen Familien in Kanada.

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Das Verhältnis zwischen China und Kanada ist seit Jahren extrem angespannt.

Die Hackergruppe MirrorFace lockte Mitte 2024 mehrere Angestellte einer diplomatischen Einrichtung in Mitteleuropa mit gezielten Phishing-Mails in die Falle, so ein Bericht des Cyber-Spezialisten Eset.

Die Masche der mit China in Verbindung stehenden Gruppe: In den Nachrichten nahm sie Bezug auf vorangegangene, legitime E-Mails zur EXPO 2025 in Japan und bot weitere Informationen zum Event an. Gingen die Opfer darauf ein, installierten sie unwissentlich gefährliche Schadsoftware auf ihren Geräten. Besonders perfide am aktuellen Fall ist, dass die Cyberkriminellen bei ihrem Angriff die Windows-Sandbox missbrauchten. Das ist eine Desktop-Umgebung, in der potenziell schädliche Anwendungen getestet werden.

„Unseres Wissens nach ist dies das erste und bisher einzige Mal, dass MirrorFace eine Einrichtung in Europa ins Visier genommen hat. Zuvor konzentrierten sich die Kriminellen auf Cyberspionage gegen japanische Organisationen“, sagt ESET Forscher Dominik Breitenbacher, der die Angriffe entdeckt hat. „MirrorFace hatte es mit seinen Angriffen auf persönliche Informationen der Mitarbeiter abgesehen. Ob Daten gestohlen wurden, ist nicht bekannt.“

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31339721

• Cyber security firm ESET discovered a cyberespionage operation by the China-aligned MirrorFace advanced persistent threat (APT) group against a Central European diplomatic institute in relation to upcoming Expo 2025 in Japan.
• MirrorFace has refreshed both its tooling and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
• To our knowledge, this represents the first time that MirrorFace has targeted a European entity.
• MirrorFace has started using ANEL, a backdoor previously associated exclusively with APT10, and deployed a heavily customized variant of AsyncRAT, using a complex execution chain to run it inside Windows Sandbox.

"Known primarily for its cyberespionage activities against organizations in Japan, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time MirrorFace has shown intent to infiltrate a European entity," Eset says in the report.

The campaign was uncovered in Q2 and Q3 of 2024 and named Operation AkaiRyū (Japanese for RedDragon) by ESET; it showcases refreshed TTPs that ESET Research observed throughout last year.

“MirrorFace targeted a Central European diplomatic institute. To our knowledge, this is the first, and, to date, only time MirrorFace has targeted an entity in Europe,” says ESET researcher Dominik Breitenbacher, who investigated the AkaiRyū campaign.

MirrorFace operators set up their spearphishing attack by crafting an email message that references a previous, legitimate interaction between the institute and a Japanese NGO. During this attack, the threat actor used the upcoming World Expo 2025 – to be held in Osaka, Japan – as a lure. This further shows that even considering this new broader geographic targeting, MirrorFace remains focused on Japan and events related to it. Before the attack on this European diplomatic institute, MirrorFace targeted two employees at a Japanese research institute, using a malicious, password-protected Word document delivered in an unknown manner.

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• Cyber security firm ESET discovered a cyberespionage operation by the China-aligned MirrorFace advanced persistent threat (APT) group against a Central European diplomatic institute in relation to upcoming Expo 2025 in Japan.
• MirrorFace has refreshed both its tooling and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
• To our knowledge, this represents the first time that MirrorFace has targeted a European entity.
• MirrorFace has started using ANEL, a backdoor previously associated exclusively with APT10, and deployed a heavily customized variant of AsyncRAT, using a complex execution chain to run it inside Windows Sandbox.

"Known primarily for its cyberespionage activities against organizations in Japan, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time MirrorFace has shown intent to infiltrate a European entity," Eset says in the report.

The campaign was uncovered in Q2 and Q3 of 2024 and named Operation AkaiRyū (Japanese for RedDragon) by ESET; it showcases refreshed TTPs that ESET Research observed throughout last year.

“MirrorFace targeted a Central European diplomatic institute. To our knowledge, this is the first, and, to date, only time MirrorFace has targeted an entity in Europe,” says ESET researcher Dominik Breitenbacher, who investigated the AkaiRyū campaign.

MirrorFace operators set up their spearphishing attack by crafting an email message that references a previous, legitimate interaction between the institute and a Japanese NGO. During this attack, the threat actor used the upcoming World Expo 2025 – to be held in Osaka, Japan – as a lure. This further shows that even considering this new broader geographic targeting, MirrorFace remains focused on Japan and events related to it. Before the attack on this European diplomatic institute, MirrorFace targeted two employees at a Japanese research institute, using a malicious, password-protected Word document delivered in an unknown manner.

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Here is an Open Letter to French MPs by the European Digital Rights, EDRi, (pdf) association.

In the midst of the media uproar over drug trafficking, a law on “drug trafficking” is passing through Parliament. In reality, this text does not only apply to the sale of narcotics and leads to a heavy reinforcement of the surveillance capacities of the intelligence and judicial police. It is one of the most repressive and dangerous texts of recent years. This law could notably give even more powers to repress activism.

This bill was adopted unanimously in the Senate, with the support of the Socialists, the Ecologists and the Communists, and will now be discussed in the National Assembly. La Quadrature du Net is calling for urgent mobilization to raise awareness of the dangers of this text and to push left-wing parties to reject it.

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• The so-called “Drug Trafficking” law undermines the protection of encrypted messaging services (such as Signal or WhatsApp) by requiring the implementation of backdoors for the police and intelligence services.
• By modifying the legal regime for organized crime, applicable in other cases, this law does not only apply to drug trafficking. It can even be used to surveil activists.
• The safe-deposit box, a provision of the law, makes secret the documents in a file detailing the use of surveillance techniques during an investigation. This violates the right to defend oneself and prevents the public from knowing the extent of the surveillance capabilities of the judicial police.
• The text provides for authorizing the police to remotely activate the microphones and cameras of fixed and mobile connected devices (computers, telephones, etc.) to spy on individuals.
• It extends the authorization to use “black boxes”, a technique for analyzing data from all our communications and exchanges on the Internet for the purpose of “fighting delinquency and organized crime”.
• The police will be able to tighten its policy of censoring Internet content by extending it to publications related to the use and sale of drugs. The risks of abuse of freedom of expression are therefore amplified.

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The Dutch parliament on Tuesday approved a law criminalizing digital espionage and diaspora espionage, which refers to foreign powers attempting to influence communities in the Netherlands with ties to those countries.

The new law expands on existing legislation [...]. Offenders can face up to eight years in prison, with a maximum of 12 years for severe cases, such as espionage leading to death.

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Last year, the Dutch intelligence service warned that Chinese cyber espionage was more extensive than initially thought and was targeting Western governments and defence companies.

In 2022, the Dutch government ordered two Chinese offices in the Netherlands to close amidst a probe into their activities. China said they were centres to help Chinese citizens renew documents, but a Dutch media report alleged they were intimidating Chinese dissidents.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31330252

The anti-dumping duties range from 26.3% to 56.1% and will help re-establish fair competitive conditions on the EU market between glass fibre yarns imported from China and those produced domestically.

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Investigations found strong evidence of WTO-incompatible Chinese subsidies offered to exporting producers both in China and abroad, via the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as efforts to circumvent EU measures through the setting up of production in third countries outside China.

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The anti-dumping duties range from 26.3% to 56.1% and will help re-establish fair competitive conditions on the EU market between glass fibre yarns imported from China and those produced domestically.

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Investigations found strong evidence of WTO-incompatible Chinese subsidies offered to exporting producers both in China and abroad, via the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as efforts to circumvent EU measures through the setting up of production in third countries outside China.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31326900

Archived

Original article (requires registration)

Canada has floated doing major defense deals with Europe and improving the continent’s access to its critical minerals in response to President Donald Trump’s threats and his pullback from US defense commitments.

Canada is seeking closer defense industry cooperation with Italy and the European Union as “a matter of urgency,” Elissa Golberg, its ambassador in Rome, wrote to Italy’s finance, foreign affairs, defense and enterprise ministers.

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The ambassador’s letter, which was seen by Bloomberg News, requested Italy’s support in ensuring that legislative texts allow third parties to collaborate with the EU’s ReArm defense plan.

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Golberg’s letter outlined plans “to purchase a number of key capabilities through major near-term procurement efforts” including as many as a dozen submarines, additional fighter jets, and battle tanks “that could potentially be acquired from European suppliers”.

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Canadian industry “has much more to offer,” the letter continues, like drones, satellite communications, robotics, AI, cybersecurity, and better integration of supply chains for Canada’s large reserves of critical minerals needed for advanced defence technologies and renewable energy systems such as nickel, cobalt and lithium.

Europe’s effort to boost defense spending “is of interest to us as Canada because of a potential alternative supplier,” Carney told reporters in London on Monday. “It creates the potential to create supply chains that mean that Canadian companies are participating in the development of these defense systems.”

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Archived

Original article (requires registration)

Canada has floated doing major defense deals with Europe and improving the continent’s access to its critical minerals in response to President Donald Trump’s threats and his pullback from US defense commitments.

Canada is seeking closer defense industry cooperation with Italy and the European Union as “a matter of urgency,” Elissa Golberg, its ambassador in Rome, wrote to Italy’s finance, foreign affairs, defense and enterprise ministers.

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The ambassador’s letter, which was seen by Bloomberg News, requested Italy’s support in ensuring that legislative texts allow third parties to collaborate with the EU’s ReArm defense plan.

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Golberg’s letter outlined plans “to purchase a number of key capabilities through major near-term procurement efforts” including as many as a dozen submarines, additional fighter jets, and battle tanks “that could potentially be acquired from European suppliers”.

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Canadian industry “has much more to offer,” the letter continues, like drones, satellite communications, robotics, AI, cybersecurity, and better integration of supply chains for Canada’s large reserves of critical minerals needed for advanced defence technologies and renewable energy systems such as nickel, cobalt and lithium.

Europe’s effort to boost defense spending “is of interest to us as Canada because of a potential alternative supplier,” Carney told reporters in London on Monday. “It creates the potential to create supply chains that mean that Canadian companies are participating in the development of these defense systems.”

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31325918

Archived

Just one year after its passage, Hong Kong’s Article 23 law has further squeezed people’s freedoms and enabled authorities to intensify their crackdown on peaceful activism in the city and beyond, Amnesty International said.

“Over the past year, Article 23 has been used to entrench a ‘new normal’ of systematic repression of dissent, criminalizing peaceful acts in increasingly absurd ways,” said Amnesty International’s China Director Sarah Brooks.

“People have been targeted and harshly punished for the clothes they wear as well as the things they say and write, or for minor acts of protest, intensifying the climate of fear that already pervaded Hong Kong. Freedom of expression has never been under greater attack.”

People convicted and jailed for peaceful expression

The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (known as Article 23) took effect on 23 March 2024. Amnesty International’s analysis shows that 16 people have since been arrested for sedition under Article 23. Five of them were officially charged under the law, and the other 11 were released without charge. None of those arrested is accused of engaging in violence, while the authorities have accused two of them of inciting violence without yet disclosing any details.

Three of the charged individuals – after facing around three months’ pre-trial detention – were convicted for, respectively, wearing a T-shirt and mask printed with protest slogans; criticizing the government online; and writing protest slogans on bus seats. They were sentenced to between 10 and 14 months in prison.

The remaining two charged people have been held in detention awaiting trial since November 2024 and January 2025, respectively. They are accused of publishing “seditious” posts on social media platforms.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31325918

Archived

Just one year after its passage, Hong Kong’s Article 23 law has further squeezed people’s freedoms and enabled authorities to intensify their crackdown on peaceful activism in the city and beyond, Amnesty International said.

“Over the past year, Article 23 has been used to entrench a ‘new normal’ of systematic repression of dissent, criminalizing peaceful acts in increasingly absurd ways,” said Amnesty International’s China Director Sarah Brooks.

“People have been targeted and harshly punished for the clothes they wear as well as the things they say and write, or for minor acts of protest, intensifying the climate of fear that already pervaded Hong Kong. Freedom of expression has never been under greater attack.”

People convicted and jailed for peaceful expression

The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (known as Article 23) took effect on 23 March 2024. Amnesty International’s analysis shows that 16 people have since been arrested for sedition under Article 23. Five of them were officially charged under the law, and the other 11 were released without charge. None of those arrested is accused of engaging in violence, while the authorities have accused two of them of inciting violence without yet disclosing any details.

Three of the charged individuals – after facing around three months’ pre-trial detention – were convicted for, respectively, wearing a T-shirt and mask printed with protest slogans; criticizing the government online; and writing protest slogans on bus seats. They were sentenced to between 10 and 14 months in prison.

The remaining two charged people have been held in detention awaiting trial since November 2024 and January 2025, respectively. They are accused of publishing “seditious” posts on social media platforms.

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