[ACTION ALERT] Stop the police crackdown and arrest of innocent people in South Korea!
Please write a letter to the President of South Korea to immediately stop the police crackdown and imprisonment of people engaged in protest against the Korea-US beef. Please see the attached sample letter.
police brutality over the protestors in South Korea’s rallies against the import of US Beef
There has been a series of police brutality over the protestors in South Korea’s rallies against the import of US Beef into the country. Last weekend, about 100,000 people gathered for a candlelight protest in downtown Seoul to demand a renegotiation of the Korea-US beef deal. In response, the Lee Administration ordered a severe police crackdown of protesters that resulted in bodily injuries of over 400 participants.
At dawn of the June 30th, police raided the offices of “the People’s Conference against Mad Cow Disease” is one of the initiators, and the “Korea Alliance of Progressive Movements”. “The People’s Conference against Mad Cow Disease” is an umbrella organization of some 1,700 civic groups nationwide that is operated by consensus of its membership groups. However, the Lee Administration singled out “Korea Alliance of Progressive Movements (KAPM)” as the mastermind behind protests related to the Korea-US beef. Police took away 22 computers from the KAPM office and arrested Mr. Hwang Soonwon on night duty. Police issued search warrants for eight activists and arrested, in addition to Mr. Hwang, Mr, Ahn Jingeol and Ms. Yoon Hee-suk.
PSPD will issue today the joint protest letter to the President Lee Myung-bak to stop the crackdown on peaceful protestors and respect their right to freedom of expression and assembly, and to release unconditionally all those who were arrested.
We call for joining the protest in solidarity with the people and civil society groups in South Korea by sending a letter to President Lee Myung-bak.
Please visit the following links to eyewitness the police repression.
http://dolb.tistory.com/325
http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/295971.html
http://bbs1.agora.media.daum.net/gaia/do/debate/read?bbsId=D003&articleId=1464719
http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/296110.html
Action alert PSPD-2008JULY1.doc
Please email your letter directly to the following address: foreign@president.go.kr
July 1, 2008
The Honorable Lee Myung-bak
President
Republic of Korea
Dear Mr. President,
We are deeply disappointed and troubled by the police suppression and brutality of the on-going peaceful protests and the arrests of three human rights defenders of “the People’s Conference against Mad Cow Disease.”
We write this urgent letter to demand the immediate release of Mr. Ahn Jingeol, Ms. Yoon Hee-sook and Mr. Hwang Soon-won and to stop without delay the police suppression of peaceful protests.
First, the arrests of three human rights defenders are a direct violation of basic democratic principles and constitutional rights. We believe that South Korea is a democratic nation that guarantees, under the constitution, the right to associate and oppose unjust practices of ruling authority. These rights are fundamental to any democratic nation, and we strongly feel that today’s arrests may represent a retrogression of Korea’s status as a democratic nation.
Second, the suppressions are an infringement of the basic rights for the freedom of expression as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 19 in which South Korea is the state party.
South Korea has made important democratic strides since the 1970s and we have witnessed this transformation. In this light, we urge you to not to forget Korea’s history and to foster international and democratic principles. The rights of the people to assemble and express their voices must be protected.
We strongly believe that the activities of Korean people are by no means illegal and violent. On the contrary, it is very just and highly applausive for democracy and public health rights.
Therefore, we urge you to release without delay Mr. Ahn Jingeol, Ms. Yoon Hee-sook and Mr. Hwang Soon-won and to stop immediately the
police suppression and brutality of peaceful protests.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]
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