Wednesday, February 11, 2015

118 Sunflowers to be prosecuted

J Michael at Thinking Taiwan reports:
Following the conclusion of three major investigations, prosecutors announced on Feb. 10 that 21 people, including Lin (who is currently doing his military service) and Academia Sinica researcher Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), will be prosecuted for their role in “318.” Despite conflicting reports, it has now been confirmed that student leader Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) was also indicted (full list here). Student leader “Dennis” Wei Yang (魏揚) and 92 others will be charged over “323,” while Hung Chung-yen (洪崇彥) and three others will face prosecution over “411.” In most cases, the charges involve “obstruction of official business.” Huang, who incidentally has spearheaded the Appendectomy Project targeting KMT Legislator Alex Tsai and others, will also be prosecuted for “incitement to commit a crime.” Prosecutors said they had yet to determine the nature of the punishments. They added that imprisonment was among the options that were being considered. And of course, gangsters like Chang An-le (張安樂) and his followers, the only people (besides the police) who actually used real violence during the crisis last spring, are being left completely alone by the prosecutors.
That pretty much sums it up. Two foreigners, the well known and longtime activist Lynn Miles, and David Smith, a Canadian photojournalist, were included among those charged, according to the TT. Cole argues that the timing of the indictments is intended to distract the public from the KMT's many problems.

Amnesty International's press release is here. I've included a Chinese translation below the READ ME line.

大家早安,昨天晚間國際特赦組織總部發出新聞稿指出台灣起訴示威者顯示警察暴力並未受到調查。去年太陽花學運時國際特赦組織總部與分會就密切觀察學運期間的集會自由的情況,中間也多次進行資料蒐集,總部並派研究員前來觀測台灣相關的人權侵犯情況。在上百人遭起訴後昨日我們發出新聞稿,開宗明義便指出 ‪#‎台灣應該撤銷針對和平示威者的起訴‬。

許多人問我們說,難道這些人沒有違反集會遊行法嗎?行政院當晚警察有使用暴力嗎?新聞稿中也對此做出回應。全文如下:

[國際特赦組織新聞稿2015.02.10]上百人因參與太陽花學運而遭到起訴,國際特赦組織表示,台灣當局必須撤銷針對和平示威遊行者的起訴。

「政府積極起訴參與太陽花學運的學生領袖和平民行動者,對於在行政院可能侵害人權的警察及政治人物卻似乎輕易放過,沒有任何獨立調查,」國際特赦組織研究員William Nee(倪偉平)表示。

「‪#‎和平示威是基本人權‬,所有政府都有義務讓人民依法行使這項權利。」

相較於針對示威者的刑事調查,3月23、24日警方在行政院及鄰近區域驅離示威者之行為,至今仍未有任何全面,獨立且公正的調查。

「雖然雙方都有人受傷,但國際特赦組織認為 ‪#‎那晚至少有一部分的警察過度使用武力‬,」William Nee說。

‪#‎和平集會的本質不因零星的暴力事件或個人違法行為而改變‬。

聯合國和平集會自由權利特別報告員表示,沒有任何和平集會組織者應自動承擔他人的違法行為,個人違法行為應由個人承擔,‪#‎政府應預設示威遊行組織者的和平初衷‬,除非具備強而有力的證據顯示組織者或參與特定活動的人刻意使用或煽動暴力行為。

在台灣,政府本身也承認集會遊行法有違2009年正式簽署的公民與政治權利國際公約,且需要大幅修正,「妨礙公務罪」不應用來替代充滿問題的集會遊行法條文,也不應以任何武斷或侮辱的方式判此罪名。

國際特赦組織敦促台灣政府全面修改集會遊行和其他相關法條,以符合國際法的標準,確立台灣憲法對和平集會自由權的保障。

中文全文請見分會網站:http://goo.gl/bb6Tz7
英文全文請見總部網站:http://goo.gl/69q3sG
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