NLG Statement: 2021 Network Regional Workshop

(Network of Laureates of Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Summit) 

On October 22, 2021, the Laureates of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights and Special Prize (NLG) participated in an international workshop on the ‘2021 Network Regional Workshop’ organized by the May 18 Memorial Foundation, (Gwangju, South Korea).

During the workshop, NLG members discussed the ongoing human rights atrocities. Even as the world marks the 73th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, cases of extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearance, and attacks on ethnic and religious minorities continue to haunt nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

In Bangladesh, the Awami League government is continuously suppressing the media, human rights defenders, independent members of civil society and people who having critical voice against the governments authoritarian behavior. Arbitrary arrest torture and prosecution is rampant.. The institutions such as Election Commission and National Human Rights Commission also has failed to fulfill own function.

In India, the caste hierarchy exist in the live eventhough The Prevention of Atrocities Act was enacted in 1989. Due to Caste, the Muslims and untouchable have suffered and discriminated in social. Gender based violence and discrimination of women is rampant in India. And the culture of impunity, authoritarianism and social and economic corruption are widespreaded in upper class.

In Indonesia, cases of torture and executions stemmed from past atrocities. The crimes against humanity of the 1965 tragedy have not been resolved and have resulted in the absence of legal certainty for the victims. In fact, victims still experience persecution, injustice, stigmatization and discrimination. Some of the victims and relatives raised unresolved issues involving the 1965 massacre and other cases of human rights violations, 15 cases of human rights violations have been investigated by Human Rights National Commissioner but the Attorney General has only brought 3 cases to court. In the end, the perpetrators were released and the victims did not get justice. The alleged perpetrators have sit in the circle of power. New evidence has been found through declassified documents, the complicity of foreign countres: USA, UK, West Germany, Australia which provoked and orchestrated the 1965 mass killings. Human Rights defenders are still accused/reported or criminalized in Indonesia.

In Nepal, since more than one year and half Nepal facing political instability because of the internal and intra conflict within and amongst the political paries. After around 15 years of peace process still the transitional justice process has not been completed. The alleged perpetrator are sitting in high government position. There had not been any effort to address the impunity. The criminal cases against the security officials and Maoist leaders are pending in the supreme court for more than 10 years. Because of COVID 19 thousands of workers has lost the job.and also the poor people are marginalised of the vaccine.

In Philippines, the Duterte government’s failure to address the COVID 19 pandemic effectively has worsened unemployment and poverty. Congress has passed the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Duterte government has been red-tagging and labelling human rights defenders and democracy activists including church leaders, lawyers and media practitioners as terrorists. The International Criminal Court has recently announced that it will investigate Duterte’s bloody war on drugs for crimes against humanity. The Nobel Peace Prize has also recently been awarded to beleaguered Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, in yet another slap to Duterte’s human rights record.

In Thailand, Thai government declared “Emergency Decree” to prohibit political protest and response COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. As result of the decree, at least 1,171 people were charged in 483 cases and advocators including children and youth groups were arrested before and after protests. And torture and disappearance has remained in Thailand. Moreover human rights defenders are under the difficult situation to active and attack online bullying.

Therefore, we, of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, and the Laureates of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, demand:

* all the governments in Asia to eradicate all forms of torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and other forms of violence in relation to the rights to justice, peace;* all the civil societies and the international community like UN to assess the capacity and competence of the institutions in Asia and monitor their capacity to uphold the Rule of Law;

Particularly, we urge:

• all Asian governments uphold the right to justice and provide reparations to the victims of the past and present human rights abuses.

• the Afganistan government to protect human rights, especially women and children, and to establish democratic government.

• the Bagladesh government to stop to surppress the right to express and right to assembly, to stop to arrest, torture and prosecute humna rights defenders and to withdraw and grant amnesty of Odhikars case.

• the India government to establish the system to protect human rights and pluralistic democracy, to implement education of grass roots level and make the lecture for changing public attitudes of the caste.

• the Indonesian government to investigate all human rights violation cases particularly the case of mass killings 1965 as the victims included 500,000 – 3,000,000 of innocent people, review the case as there are new facts, evidences founded, sentence the perpetrators to the court, rehabiliate and give back the victims’ rights. And western countries which involved and orchestrated the mass killings to take responsibility apologize and support for victims remedy in the field of social, medical and their life and compensate as well. To drop the case of human rights defenders: Haris Azhar, Fatia Malidiyanti, Egi Primayogha and Miftah.

• the Myanmar government to stop all acts of indiscrimiante killing and oppression of citizen and release advocators and to relinquish all power and cede authority to the democratic government.

• the Nepal government to complete the peace process by implementing the comprehensive peace accord signed by the government and maoist in 2006 without any delay and to protect the rights to vaccine of poor and vulnerable community and group without any discrimination. the Supreme court to clear the conflict related case as soon as possible and ensure justice to the victim.

• the Thai government to withdraw ‘Emergency Decree’ for protecting freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and stop prosecuting the political activists and human rights defenders. The Court of Justice to allow Aronon Nampa, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa and other political prisoners to bail. ‘Right to Bail’ is the right of all person.

• the Philippine government to cooperate with the investigation of the International Criminal Court, to stop weaponizing the law against human rights defenders, and to release political prisoners arrested on trumped up charges.

The May 18 Memorial Foundation and the Network of the Laureates of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights condemn these vicious acts affecting democracy and human rights.

October 22, 2021

Gwangju, South Korea

The May 18 Memorial Foundation and Network of the Laureates of the Gwangju Prize for Human Right and Special Prize (NLG)