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Free Tibet!

Blood was shed as over 100,000 people gathered around the Norbulinka palace to stop their spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, from attending a theatrical event at the Chinese Military Headquarters in Lhasa. Tibetans feared that Dalai Lama would be abducted to Beijing and never return to Tibet again. As a result, uprising against the Chinese occupation force and massive demonstrations took place in Lhasa in March, 1959. Tens of thousands of Tibetans were slaughtered by the People’s Liberation Army. The Dalai Lama and around 80,000 refugees escaped to neighboring countries. Since then, Tibetan uprising and demonstrations have continued. Recognizing the plight…

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TAHR Network News

Greetings,In the Year of the Dog, Taiwan Association for Human Rights proudly presents our first issue of TAHR Network News, a monthly newsletter for the international community on human rights. TAHR Network News aims to inform our members and affliated organizations of human rights related news and relevant upcoming events in Taiwan. In our first issue, we included the Top 10+1 Human Rights News in Taiwan that we released at the end of 2005. Please see HERE for more details.

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Top 10+1 Human Rights News in Taiwan

Top 10+1 Human Rights News in Taiwan Starting from 1999, Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) has annually released 10 most important human rights news events in Taiwan. Following the tradition, TAHR released 2005’s the most important news events regarding human rights in Taiwan on December 22nd. The selected news items include: ◎ National Fingerprint Archive The Taiwanese government’s policy of establishing a national fingerprint archive is, to our concerns, likely to greatly influence people’s everyday lives and possibly result in violation of privacy rights. A group of Democratic Progressive Party’s legislators filed a complaint to the Constitutional Court accusing…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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;…

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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…