PSPD in English Int. Solidarity 2020-04-21   1459

[Statement] Denounce the Arrest of Pro-Democracy Figures by HK Police

HK solidairty

 

Statement from 52 ROK Civil Society Organizations

Denounce the Arrest of Pro-Democracy Figures by Hong Kong Police
Hong Kong Government Should Immediately Cease the Suppression on Pro-Democracy Activists 

 

According to media reports, including Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), on April 8, 2020, Hong Kong police have arrested more than 15 pro-democracy activists including Martin Lee(李柱銘), who founded the Hong Kong Democratic Party, Margaret Ng(吳靄儀), who founded the Civic Party, Li Cheuk-yan(李卓人), secretary general of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Union and Vice-chairman of Labour Party in Hong Kong, Leung Kwok-hung(梁國雄), former president of the League of Social Democrats, Yeung Sum(楊森), former president of Hong Kong Democratic Party and Jimmy Lai(黎智英), founder of Apple Daily, for organizing and joining unlawful protests and rallies on August 18, October 1, and 20 last year. Hong Kong police have earlier arrested Jimmy Lai(黎智英), Yeung Sum(楊森) and Li Cheuk-yan(李卓人) for similar charges related to the protest on August 31, 2019.  

The International Human Rights Law emphasizes that citizens’ freedom of assembly, association and freedom of expression are the rights that should be protected under any circumstances. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantees everyone’s freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association and stipulates that the exercise of those rights cannot be restricted unless strictly necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security and public safety, etc. In the Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) states that, as a principle, “[T]hose wishing to assemble should not be required to obtain permission to do so.” Furthermore, one should not be subject to criminal or administrative sanctions for failure to notify authorities of an assembly since simply not notifying it does not render an assembly unlawful.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association has repeatedly emphasized in its UN Human Rights Council reports that the criminal responsibility on illegal activities during assemblies and rallies should be judged individually. Individual rally participants or organizers who have not committed any violent activity on their own shall not be prosecuted for illegal acts, such as violence by others. In particular, the rally organizers should not be held responsible for the unlawful behaviour of others in which the organizers did not directly participate in. Hong Kong police’s arrest of a large number of pro-democracy activists is an apparent violation of human rights against the international human rights standards stated above.

We, the South Korean Human Rights and Civil Society Organizations, strongly urge the Hong Kong police to immediately cease the exercise of the unjust governmental authority such as arbitrary arrests. In a democratic society, it is a basic right of citizens to participate in rallies and express their opinions. This arrest can only be understood as an attempt to criminalize and oppress the Hong Kong citizens’ peaceful assembly and expression of their democratic will by symbolically making pro-democracy activists illegal. The Hong Kong government should actively ensure rallies to be held freely instead of arresting people who exercised their right to freedom of assembly. That is the duty of a government pursuing democracy. What is needed now is to establish an independent investigative commission to investigate the continued violence of Hong Kong police throughout the protests and punish the perpetrators, not an investigation on the pro-democracy activists. 

We, the South Korean Human Rights and Civil Society Organizations, once again emphasize that freedom of assembly and association and freedom of expression are basic human rights that must be guaranteed. We also express our deep concern that the arrest of pro-democracy activists by Hong Kong police could aggravate the social division and confusion at a time when governments and citizens must cooperate to fight the global disaster situation of COVID – 19. As the saying goes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” the injustice occurring in Hong Kong is, after all, a threat to justice that should be guarded by democratic societies around the world. Therefore, we, the South Korean Human Rights and Civil Society Organizations, will continue to stand in solidarity with the Hong Kong citizens’ peaceful resistance toward democracy till the end. We strongly urge the Hong Kong government to immediately cease its unjust and arbitrary arrests of pro-democracy activists. 

 

21 April 2020

 

A.C.A.B(Asian Companions against Brutality)

Activists group for human Rights ‘BARAM’ 

Ajou university student commitee of Justice party 

Art liberation front

Asia Democracy Network

BetterFuture

Catholic Human Rights Committee

Center for Cultural Society

Citizen’s Action for Kyungui-Line Commons

Dasan Human Rights Center

Dialogue China

Gwangju HongKong solidarity committee 

Gwangju-si Committee, Justice Party

Human Rights Movement Space ‘Hwal’

iGong, Alternative Visual Culture Factory

Incorporated Organization Silcheon Bulgyo

Insoonism Comix

Jeju Peace Human Rights Institute WHAT

Justice Party Gyeonggi-do Youth Commitee

Justice party youth group ‘Momentum’

Korea National Council of Soverign

Korean Citizen Supporters for Democracy in HK

Korean House for International Solidarity

Korean Insurance Planner’s Union

Korean Union of Public sector Research and Professional workers (KUPRP)

Korean Union of Public sector Research and Professional workers(KUPRP)

Kwanghwamoon TV

Labor Urban Solidarity

Liberation film

Migrants center FRIEND

MINBYUN – Lawyers for a Democratic Society

Opennet Korea

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)

Platform C

Preparatory Committee of the Youth Committee of the Justice Party’s Gyeonggi Provincial Party

Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination

Research Institute Culturecity

SARANGBANG Group for Human Rights

Seoul National Univ. Center for Urban Society

SNU Justice Party Club on the Left

Society of International Solidarity in Justice Party

Solidarity for peace & humanrights

Special Committee on Anti-discrimination law of the Justice Party (South Korea)

The Labor Party in Korea ‘Fine-tune’

the Transgender Liberation Front

Truth-finding Commission on Yongsan Disaster

Unioncraft.kr

Voice of the Artists

Western Seoul Center for Nonstandard Workers

Women Making Peace

Yoon  Jungsook

Youth Committee of the Suwon City Committee of the Justice Party

 


 

52個南韓人權市民社會團體聲明

譴責香港警方逮捕民主派人士
香港政府應立即停止打壓民主派人士

 

據香港自由言論 (HKFP) 等媒體報道,香港警察於 2020 年 4 月 18 日將香港民主黨創辦人李柱銘,前民主黨議員吳靄儀,香港職工會聯盟主席李卓人,社會民主連線前主席梁國雄,民主黨前主席楊森,蘋果日趣報創辦人黎智英等 15 名主要民主人士因涉嫌於去年 8 月 18 日及 10 月 1 日,10 月 20 日參與組織非法示威與遊行而被捕。在此之前香港警方曾於今年2月28日以類似涉嫌與去年 8 月 31 日舉辦的示威有關爲由,逮捕了黎智英、楊森和李卓人三人。

 

在國際人權法中強調公民的集會,結社自由和言論自由在任何情況下都是必須保護的權利。《公民與政治權利國際公約》(ICCPR) 保障所有人表達意見的自由和集會,結社的自由,除非其權利的行使在民主社會中出於國家安全或公共安全等的利益而絕對必要否則其權利的行使不得受到限制。通過法律的民主主義歐洲委員會 (Venice Commission) 的《關於和平集會自由的方針》(Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly) 中規定「對於想要集會的人,不能要求他們先得到獲得集會許可」。明確規定的一點是單純沒有遵守集會申報條件的行爲而宣稱屬於非法的話並不能追究其責任。

 

聯合國的自由和平集會權特別報告員 (The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly) 曾通過聯合國人權理事會的報告等多次強調,對集會、示威中發生的非法行爲的刑事責任應按個別情況來判定。任何未採取任何暴力行爲的個別集會參加者或主辦者,不得以他人的暴力行爲等不法行爲爲由被起訴。特別是集會主辦者對自己沒有直接參與的非法行爲不承擔刑事責任。香港警方此次大規模逮捕民主人士,明顯違反上述國際人權標準,是侵犯人權的行爲。

 

韓國人權市民社會團體敦促香港警方立即停止任意逮捕等不當的公共權力活動。在民主社會中,參加集會和表達意願是市民應有的權利。此次拘捕的目的,只是使民主人士成爲違法者的象徵,意圖定罪和打壓參與和平集會和爲民主表達意願的香港市民。香港特區政府應該積極保障,在逮捕行使集會自由權利的人之前,集會是可以自由舉行的權利。這是朝向民主主義的政府的義務。 現在需要的不是對他們進行調查,而是成立獨立調查委員會,調查並處罰持續不斷的香港警察暴力。

韓國人權市民社會團體再次強調集會,結社自由和表達意見的自由是必須得到嚴格保障的基本人權。另外,我們對於這次香港警方拘捕民主人仕的行動,也深表憂慮,因爲在政府和市民必須齊心協力對抗新型冠狀病毒(COVID-19,武漢肺炎)這一個全球性災難的時期,該項行動可能加劇社會的分裂和混亂。正如「一個地方的不義行爲是對世界上所有地方正義的威脅」這句話一樣,香港正在發生的不義行爲最終也威脅到了全世界民主社會必須維護的正義。因此,我們韓國人權市民社會團體將堅決與香港市民一起為民主和平地抵抗,我們強烈敦促香港特區政府立即停止對民主人士的不當和任意逮捕。

 

2020 年 4 月 21 日

 

聯署團體:

京義線公有地市民行動,光州香港連帶會議,光化門TV,抵抗國家暴力的亞洲共同行動,國際民主連帶,尋找權利聯合,勞動黨 ‘Fine-tune’,勞動城市連帶,綠色聯合,茶山人權中心,Dialogue China 韓國代表部,文化社會研究所,未來對策行動,民主社會的律師聚會,(社)另類影視文化發展所IGONG,社團法人文化城市研究所,社團法人開放網絡(OPEN NET),首爾大學亞洲城市社會中心,首爾西部非正規勞動中心,反對性小眾歧視彩虹行動,實踐佛教全國僧伽會,亞洲民主主義網絡,藝術解放戰線,龍山慘案真相查明委員會,移民中心的朋友,人權運動空間-弓箭,人權運動網絡-風,人權運動愛心房,INSOONISM COMIX,全國公共研究工會,全國保險設計師工會,全北和平與人權連帶,正義黨京畿道黨青年委員會,正義黨京畿道黨青少年委員會籌備委員會,正義黨光州市委員會,正義黨國際連帶黨員團體,正義黨首爾大學學生委員會,正義黨水原市委員會青少年委員會,正義黨亞洲大學學生委員會,正義黨禁止歧視法促進特別委員會,正義黨青年黨員團體MOMENTUM,濟州和平人權研究所-WHAT,主權者全國會議,參與連帶,天主教人權委員會,變性者解放戰線,創造和平的女性會,PlatformC,解放菲林,弘益大學美術學院特別委員會美大的呼嘯,支持香港民主的市民組織(共52個團體)

 

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