Free Tibet, End Chinese Tyranny
Free Tibet March in Taipei on March 10, 2006.Please see Programs for details.
Invitation Light up a Life – Praying for a Society Without Death Penalty
Invitation Light up a Life – Praying for a Society Without Death Penalty Four years ago, the Lin brothers from Kaohsiung slaughtered their neighbors leaving one man dead and the other severely injured. They were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court last year. Monday night (12/26), right after Christmas, news of the Lin brothers’ execution arrived, and their family did not receive any notice before the brothers were executed. In 2001, Mr. Chen Ding Nan, the Minister of the Justice Department promised to abolish capital punishment during his term of office. In 2005, when the representatives from the International…
Press Statement
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the inhumane treatment by the Hong Kong Police against unarmed protestors, during the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, on 17th and 18th December 2005. The Right to peacefully protest is a basic human right, as enshrined in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and other UN human rights standards. Hong Kong Police has not only violated this basic right and other fundamental freedoms of assembly and movement, but they have also provoked tensions and conflict between the protestors and Police by resorting to disproportionately violent…
1025 Press Release
In regard to whether Japan’s “Hansen’s Disease Patients’ Compensation Law” is applicable to the Hansen’s disease patients in Taiwan as well as South Korea, which were both colonized by the Japanese government before the war, Tokyo District Court has announced the judgments against S. Korea and Taiwan respectively on October 25 morning. S. Korea’s claim was overruled, yet subsequently, Taiwan received a winning verdict. The disparity was a result that the presiding judges of the two courts held different views toward whether “Hansen’s Disease Patients’ Compensation Law” is pertinent to the overseas leper sanitariums run by the Japanese government. Nevertheless,…
World Day Against Death Penalty
Double Tenth Day is our National Day and meanwhile the World Day Against Death Penalty. After Amnesty International and tens of other international human rights groups formed World Coalition Against the Death Penalty in May 2002, they have decided to make October 10 the World Day Against Death Penalty, entreating the countries that have not yet abolished the death penalty to undertake action in terminating the death penalty. In recent years, Taiwan government has repeatedly declared to list the eradication of death penalty as one of its primary political goals. President Chen Shui-bian also reiterated the same idea when meeting…
Workshop on Human Rights Defenders
Workshop on Human Rights DefendersYou are invited!If you are working on human rights related issues, please come and join the HRD workshop! Time: September 2nd (Friday) 2：00～21：00 pm（dinner provided, please register first）Place: Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline big meeting room（Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 2, No.70, 12F, Taipei; near MRT Guting Station）Target Participants: human rights activists, NGO workersMaximum Number of Participants: 30Facilitator: Mr. Rukshan Fernando（Ruki） 〔Background〕Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Project IntroductionProgramme Coordinator: Mr Rukshan Fernando (Ruki)ObjectivesHuman Rights Defenders (HRD) Programme aims to protect human rights activists and practitioners by strengthening and promoting the role of the Human Rights Defenders and strengthening both domestic and…
Aceh: Tragedy and Hope Human Rights Forum
1. Taiwan Youth for Democratization in AsiaTime: July 27th, 2005 (Wednesday) 18:30 – 21:00Venue: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy(Xinyi Rd., Sec. 3, Lane 147, Alley 17, No. 4; near DaAn MRT Station)Main Speaker: Mr. Hendra Budian 2. NGOs RoundtableTime: July 28th, 2005 (Thursday) 13:30 – 15:30Venue: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy(Xinyi Rd., Sec. 3, Lane 147, Alley 17, No. 4)Main Speaker: Mr. Hendra Budian★ Although NGO workers are encouraged to attend, any interested members of the public are also welcome. 3. Beyond the TsunamiTime: July 29th, 2005 (Friday) 18:30 – 20:30Venue: Youth Hub (Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 1, No. 31, 1st Floor;…
Japan Hanging on to Death Penalty
HRF/75/03 Embargoed for 23 April 2003 JAPAN is one of only two industrialized democracies that use the death penalty Currently, there are 57 people on death row waiting to be executed, and approximately an additional 50 inmates whose death sentences are still under appeal. Japan’s death penalty practice has been called “inconsistent with the [ICCPR]” by the UN Human Right Committee, “a violation of the most fundamental human rights” by the Council of Europe, and tantamount to torture and cruel punishment by numerous independent observers. Japan’s death penalty practice is cloaked in secrecy, and administered under antiquated, unreformed laws leaving…
Foreign Occupation, Right to Self Determination and Right to Development
Chairperson and dear Friends from Asia, First let me begin by thanking the Asian Civil Society Forum 2002 and the organizers for this opportunity to present the case of Tibet in today’s discussion. I am the executive director of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy which is based in northern India and was established in 1996. Article 1 of the International Human Rights Covenants (ICESCR and ICCPR) provides that “all peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”. Since 1979,…
A Musical Look at Human Rights in Taiwan
Human rights apply to many different aspects of our lives, and different groups of people face different kinds of human rights problems. Naturally, people deprived of life or liberty because of their opinions or through miscarriages of justice are victims of human rights violations. Likewise, people denied equal treatment because of their gender, ethnic or national origin, or sexual orientation are also victims of human rights violations. So are abused children or workers mistreated by their bosses. Through this CD we hope to bring everyone’s attention to some of these problems and the disadvantaged groups in our society who are…
For Human Rights, Let them free
2001.05 The Greek cargo vessel, M/V Amorgos, was grounded off the coast of southern Taiwan, on Jan 14, 2001. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) of the Executive Yuan sent a letter to the Hualien Harbor Bureau (HLHB) requesting that they restrain the Master of ship Evangelos Lazaridis, Chief Engineer Vasileios Sardis, and other crewmembers from leaving Taiwan. The HLHB then sent a letter of request to the Immigration Bureau of the Interior Ministry (IBIM) to do the same. So far, they have been restrained in Taiwan for more than 4 months. To protect their human rights, we request that the…
Human rights get mixed report card
By Irene LinSTAFF REPORTERNews from Taipei Times Human rights conditions in Taiwan have improved over the past year, but causes for concern remain, according to a year-end evaluation released yesterday. The Taiwan Association for Human Rights (台灣人權促進會) released its evaluation of human rights conditions in Taiwan for the year 2000 yesterday, listing improvements as well as setbacks. Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正), chairperson of the association, said it is expected the society could use the evaluation as an indicator of human rights conditions in Taiwan. Four out of the 10 items on the evaluation pointed to areas where change has been for…