Summary
Forward BY
: HOTLINE ASIA / Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples
FROM : Pan-National
Solidarity Committee for the abolition of the NSL
ADDRESS : Myong-Dong Catholic Cathedral 1, 2ga myong-dong,
joong-gu, Seoul, S Korea 100-022
TEL : 82-347-795-5518
FAX : 82-347-792-9779
EMAIL : wstun@hotmail.com
Pan-National Committee for Abolishing the National
Security Law composed of 152 Korean NGOs including
democratic religious organizations such as Catholic,
Christian, and Buddhist groups was established in
September of this year aiming at elimination of the NSL.
Hunger strike of Priests for Justice for 25 days from 5
of September led to people's rally held every second
week, signature campaign, shaving-hairs sit-in, other
hunger strikes and now upcoming;Pan-National Culture
Festival for abolishing the NSL on 4 of December.
The National Security Law born in cold war and shacking
freedom of thoughts and conscience until now was used as
a main method to protect only security of power not to
protect neither national security nor human rights of
people for 51 years. Under the Law which has infamous
provisions vaguely defined, quite a few human rights
defenders, members of trade union, and dissidents were
arrested and served longterm in prison and occasionally
went through cruel torture.
From the inauguration of President Kim Dae-jung where he
promised to improve human rights situation in South
Korea, almost all Korean NGOs expected that the NSL could
be dramatically changed or abolished and the struggles
against the NSL got heated. However, the Grand National
Party, the main opposition party opposed even any debates
on amendment or elimination of the NSL and considered
persons fighting against the NSL communists benefiting
enemy, North Korea.
National Congress, the ruling party made a draft for the
amendment to the NSL but its partial change cannot make
sure protection of human rights from arbitrary
application of the NSL at the satisfactory level.
Some progress can be pointed out in the draft like that
the ruling party decided to reduce pre-trial detention of
NSL offenders from 50 days to 20 days with that of
ordinary criminals(Article 19 para.2 of the NSL) and
delete Article 21 Para.2 of the NSL which stipulates a
monetary award for personnel of investigation or
intelligence agency arresting the NSL offenders. However,
maintaining article 7of Para.3 after partial change makes
us suspicious about the Korean government's will to
promote human rights protection because since the 80s, 92%
of the NSL indictments were for violating Article 7, and
72% of these were indicted for Paragraph 3 (forming or
participating enemy-benefiting organizations) of Article
7 of the NSL.
The UN Human Rights Committee considered the periodic
human rights report of the Korean government in its 67th
session and urged the Korean government to phase out the
NSL. In its concluding observation released on the 1st
November, the Committee noted that the scope of
activities that may be regarded as encouraging anti-state
organizations; under article 7 of the NSL is unreasonably
wide and called for urgently amending article 7 so as to
make it compatible with the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights.
Please send your appeal letters to the Korean government
and National Congress, the ruling party in an effort to
support struggles for the elimination of the NSL.
Mail to : Dear President - www.bluehouse.go.kr
National Congress - FAX : 82-2-784-6070
E-mail address : ncnp@ncnp.or.kr
Your support letters are also essential to promote
people's struggle against the NSL already heated at a
national level at this moment more than in any other days
since our long-run protest against the NSL for 51 years.
Please send your solidarity message to Pan-National
Culture Festival for Abolishing the NSL via Internet. (Email
address: wsyun@hotmail.com)
If available, we would like to have monetary support from
you.
(NACF KRSE 386-12-036431 Yun Won Suk)
Since the Culture Festival will be held on 4 December, we
wish to have your message by 2 of December.
Best regards,
Park Junsuk
Pan-National Solidarity Committee for the abolition of
the NSL
Source from KOHRNET(Korea Human Rights Network) m321@chollian.net
WE SHALL KEEP YOU
INFORMED OF THE LATEST SITUATION AND NECESSARY ACTIONS
REQUIRED BY THE LOCAL GROUPS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
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