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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.18
April 28, 2001


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Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net

Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.

1) MAY DAY 2001 STATEMENT FROM ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
2) ECHOES FROM THE WORKSHOP ON THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE Personal Reflections by Ms. Pooja Shrestha
3) THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS held in Beijing. A Brief report by Basil Fernando
4) MR.BASIL FERNANDO:THE WINNER OF THE KWANGJU HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
5) ANNOUNCEMENTS: Urgent Appeal for Fr. P.J. Joseph and news of a new publication

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1) MAY DAY 2001 STATEMENT FROM ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and protection against unemployment.to equal pay for equal work.to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for him/herself and his/her family an existence worthy of human dignity.to form and join trade unions.

ARTICLE 23, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

If these are really our rights, as agreed by everyone 50 years ago, what is going on? No other right is more universally ignored than the right to work, with unemployment affecting enormous numbers of people in every country. Governments in all countries are acting to prevent this basic right for their people, and instead seek to keep a pool of unemployed as a threat to those in work. This has effectively weakened the worker movement.

In the developed countries, business has convinced people that they are consumers rather than workers, that trade unions are 'out of date', and that they should concentrate on chiseling out their individual career path from the fragments of work available. In developing countries, governments have told people they are lucky to have an exhausting, dangerous, repetitive job that pays them or less a day and their protests at exploitation by multinational corporations are met with state-sanctioned violence. In Burma, people are forced into labour by the military, leaving the workers with no time, energy or money to earn enough food to live on. In Nepal, women are trafficked as sex workers. In Pakistan children are sold into bonded labour. The unemployment rate in Indonesia stands at 17 per cent.

There is increasing evidence of the Governments, businesses and work systems failing to ensure the people their right to work, or to work that treats them as humans. The challenge this May Day for the workers' movement, religious groups, human rights activists, political groups and all people who care about humanity is to work together to ensure that the fundamental, universal right to dignified work is realised in our time.

2) ECHOES FROM THE WORKSHP ON THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE

Personal Reflection by Ms. Pooja Shrestha

The UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment have been an important forum to voice our opinion and in return, take the feedback from the participants.

In Nepal, the existing scenario on torture can be profoundly noticed in the Maoist affected areas, those in the Police custody, those who have been trafficked, those still under the pretext of the superstitious beliefs and those facing domestic violence.

While working in the respective area, the encounters of the victims have been plenty. I still remember those faces, the faces so still, full of hope and anguish to get somewhere, to reach out for the helpful hands, the hands to shed away their tears and remove the fears from the heart and soul. I wish at times that those days had never existed, those faces would never turn up.

So, to end Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment, let us first start with out family, our neighbor, our society that is basically from Micro to Macro level.

3) THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS held in Beijing.

A Brief report by Basil Fernando

The International Symposium on Human Rights Protection and Anti-Torture in The 21 Century sponsored by Institute of Law of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Danish Centre For Human Rights, Beijing, China was held from 19-20 April. About 55 Chinese participants and eight foreign participants took part. Basil Fernando and Wong Kai Shing represented Asian Legal Resource Centre and presented a paper on torture in Asia.

Papers presented at the symposium included UN Convention Against Torture and its implementation, New Trends in the International Work on Torture, Torture in Asia, Prohibition of Torture and Limitation of Death Penalty, Theory and Practice of Torture of Chinese Confucian, Equal Protection of Human Rights in Contemporary China; A counter Measure on Torture, Prohibition of Torture and Exclusion of Illegally Obtained Evidence, Right to Remain Silent And Prohibition against Extraction of Confessions, Test Cases on Extraction of Torture, Protection of suspects rights Vs Investigation needs, Chinese Police System and Its role in the Combat Against Torture, Remedies for Damages Resulted from Torture or Other Improper Means by Police during Investigation in the PRC, Protection of the Rights of Detainees and the Prevention of Torture in Denmark.

Presenting of papers were followed by lively debates. Discussions were open and frank. It was a commonly expressed view that for effective elimination of torture it was essential to eliminate at trials the use of confessions and statements obtained through such practices.

Copies of the above mentioned papers in English and Chinese are available with the Asian Human Rights Commission.

4) MR. BASIL FERNANDO :THE WINNER OF THE KWANGJU HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD

Press Release

The Selection of the Second Winner of the Kwangju Human Rights Award

The spirit of the May 18 Kwangju uprising has become a light of hope to Asia's people who are struggling against an anti-democratic and inhuman order today. To overcome this oppressive order, an indomitable courage to stand against brutal violence is required. In addition, one must have a devotion to examine the truth and to push for the punishment of those responsible for the violence that is perpetrated against other human beings and to endeavor to promote political and socio-economic democracy. This then is what is necessary to overcome the massacre of Asia's people and to develop democracy, a feat which often seems impossible in Asia.

The Kwangju Human Rights Award that is given to a person or organization that reflects the spirit of the Kwangju uprising was first awarded last year to Xanana Gusmao, chairman of the CNRT (National Council of Timorese Resistance) in East Timor. This year's recipient of the second Kwangju Human Rights Award is Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission (ARHC) in Hong Kong.

First of all, we would like to say that all of candidates and organizations that were recommended by local or international human rights activists or organizations have made many contributions to the human rights movement in Asia. Those who have promoted peace and the reunification of Korea are equally qualified to be the winner of this year's award as well.

In granting the award, the original purpose of the prize must always be kept in mind: to recognize a person or organization that best promotes and protects human rights in the Asian region, a part of the world that shares with us in Korea a similar historical experience. It is for this reason that Basil Fernando has been chosen this year as he is one of the most prominent and passionate human rights activists in the region. He has tirelessly sought to promote the human rights of Asia's people, especially those who have been the most neglected and oppressed.

Mr. Fernando also has a strong belief that the Kwangju uprising on May 18, 1980, is a positive symbol of the commitment and courage of the human rights movement in Asia and of what it can achieve. Because of this conviction, he has organized many seminars, workshops and international events in order to spread the spirit of the Kwangju uprising to others in Asia. He has thus significantly contributed to enhancing the international image of Kwangju through these activities that he has promoted and organized.

Reflecting the desire to spread the spirit of Kwangju on May 18, 1980, throughout the world, we cannot but feel a deep sense of thanks and friendship for his endeavor to recognize Kwangju as "the city of human rights and peace" to all of Asia's people beyond the Korean Peninsula through organizing the Asian Conference to Declare the Asian Human Rights Charter that was held in Kwangju from May 13 to 20, 1998, at which more than 30 Asian human rights leaders attended.

As a prominent human rights activist, he has criticized the bureaucratic system of existing international human rights organizations, including the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). He has sought to overcome the problems associated with these large bureaucratic organizations by trying to establish a human rights organization which is rooted in the people and that places the people themselves at the center of the human rights movement.

We believe that his selection as the recipient of the second Kwangju Human Rights Award will give courage and hope to all of those who are actively struggling for human rights, peace and democracy in Asia.

5) ANNOUNCEMENTS:

- The Urgent Appeal issued on behalf of Fr. P.J. Joseph can be viewed at http://jjpallath.ahrchk.net

- "TORTURE : Mother of All Human Rights Violations " is now available in our website: http://www.ahrchk.net/publications/books/torture2/index.htm