SOUTH KOREA: Three human rights defenders are arrested as instigators of illegal protest

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained information that two activists appealing the illegal arrest of others, and one activist monitoring police violence during recent protests, were arrested on 25 June and 30 June 2008 respectively and later charged with instigating an illegal protest in South Korea.

CASE DETAILS:

On 25 June 2008, Mr. Ahn Jin-geol and Ms. Yoon Hee-sook attended as staff the People’s Conference Against Mad Cow Disease and were in charge of the candle light rallies from 11 April to 3 May 2008. The conference provided the opportunity for anyone to express their political opinion regarding the agreement between the Korean government and United States of America. It was also arranged for professional singers and performers from colleges and associations to perform at the festival.

After the results of the second meeting were announced on June 25 about 1,000 people, including Ahn Jin-geol and Yoon Hee-sook, held a press conference in front of Kyong-bok Palace. At 3pm on the same day, police started arbitrarily arresting people on the spot, including Ms. Yoon and Ms. Lee Jeong-hee a Member of Parliament and a 12-year-old girl. Seeing the arrest of the minor, Mr. Ahn appealed this arrest. While appealing about seven riot police suddenly attacked him from behind and held him down on his neck (See photo 1) and limbs, causing a bruise needing two weeks medical treatment and recovery. His actions against the arrest of the minor caused him to be charged for the obstruction of execution of public duties. When the minor was released following several appeals from people nearby, around 30 people were arrested and taken to Jong-ro police Station.

At 5.50pm on 30 June 2008, about 40 police officers came to the office of Korea Solidarity of Progressive Movement with a seizure and search warrant and arrested Mr. Hwang Soon-won, the director of democracy and human rights at the organisation. The reasons given for his arrest were: planning an illegal assembly and demonstrations and for ensuring its execution. After his arrest he was interrogated at the Jong-ro Police Station.

According to the information received, he worked as a volunteer at the Committee and was in charge of monitoring arrestees and recording injuries obtained in the process of marching on the street, as well as victims of police crackdowns against protesters. He also played a role in contacting lawyers to assist the arrestees and reporting any injuries to medical staff on the spot so that the injured could receive appropriate medical treatment.

Arrest warrants have been issued to six persons: Mr. Han Yong-Jin and Mr. Park Won-Seok, co-heads of current affairs at the Committee; Mr. Kim Gwang-Il, team leader of marching at the Committee; Mr. Kim Dong-gyu, team leader of organising at the Committee; Mr. Paik Eun-Jong, vice president of the internet café ‘Anti Lee Myung-Bak’; and Mr. Baik Seong-Gyun, president of the internet community ‘michincow’.  All of them are currently staying in Jogyesa (Jogye temple) in Seoul, the Korean Buddhist Jogye order, and police are waiting outside the temple to arrest them.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

When the agreement by the Korean government to re-begin importing beef, or beef products, from the United States of America without public knowledge became known to the public on April 18, a committee called the ‘People’s Conference Against Mad Cow Disease’ was formed, consisting of about 1,800 civic groups from the country. Some members from the group volunteered to work for the Committee and organised candle light vigils for participants, as people began holding candles in their hands. The main role of the arrestees mentioned above is to monitor human rights violations when riot police start forcibly dispersing of marchers and to communicate with lawyers’ groups, medical groups and the press based on the situation.

School students first began holding candles after the agreement to show their fear at having beef that may contain mad cow disease due to the lack of a domestic quarantine system. These fears became widespread over the internet. Police announced that they would investigate those students who were spreading these ‘rumours’. After it was found that the Korean government could not guarantee safety from the disease, people from all professional sectors have held candle light vigils. As the protest has continued, police are not allowing people to hold demonstrations and are making arbitrary arrests (See further AHRC-STM-146-2008).

In order to prevent people from gathering and marching towards the Presidential residence, police have blocked all routes to the place where candle light vigils were scheduled to be held and used police buses to completely block all ways to the residence. Whenever some individuals threw plastic water bottles, other participants made them calm down by shouting ‘non-violence!’. On June 2, in the process of forcible dispersal of protesters, police beat protesters with batons and police shields, which caused several injuries. (See further AHRC-STM-155-2008)

From the beginning of the protest, the government has alleged that they were masterminded by people behind the students holding candle lights. However, due to the continuation of the people’s protest, the government sent representatives to the United States for additional meetings but the results of these meetings have not satisfied the demands of the people. In addition, the outcomes of these meetings do not guarantee safety from the disease. (See further AHRC-STM-180-2008).

Although frustrated and disappointed, people did not turn off the lights and continued the march. After a public announcement by the Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, without a public hearing on June 25, the police arbitrarily arrested people. This included those people standing or watching the protest from the pavement, stating that people gathered on the pavement violated the Act on Assembly and Demonstration. On June 28 and 29, at least 300 protesters were injured by the police’s unnecessary force while forcibly dispersing the protesters.

Police have reported that 958 persons have been taken to the police station, that 9 persons were investigated with detention, 694 of them released within 48 hours, 56 of them sent to court for summary justice, 25 of them freed after writing a statement regretting their behaviour and expressing that they would not take part in the candle light vigil again in the future, and 184 of them are continuing to be investigated by police. Apart from the police report, at least five persons who narrated what they had seen during the forcible dispersal of demonstrators, or expressed fear concerning mad cow disease on the internet were also arrested and detained.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the authorities listed below urging them to release these human rights defenders without condition and to withdraw the cases against them.

Please be informed that the AHRC has written separate letters to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression and on the situation of human rights defenders calling for intervention in this matter.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER