10 October 2013 - Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, denounces the South Korean government’s unjustified arrest and detention of eleven environmental and civil society activists for exercising their right to freedom of assembly.
“The repressive and unwarranted response to the peaceful demonstrations is representative of the government’s persistent intolerance of environmental activism in the country,” said Tor Hodenfield, Policy and Advocacy Officer at CIVICUS. “The government must immediately drop all charges against the peaceful protestors and initiate a dialogue with Miryang villagers to find a mutually-agreeable solution to the dispute.”
On 3 October 2013, 11 human rights defenders were arrested and detained by members of the National Police Agency in response to peaceful demonstrations against the construction of large-scale power transmission towers, in Miryang, Republic of Korea. While a number of the activists were released without charge within 48 hours of being detained, criminal charges were filed against four of the detainees.
The arrests represent a severe escalation of the government’s attempts to obstruct the on-going protests in opposition to the construction of 69 nuclear transmission towers in Miryang. The demonstrators, who have staged regular protests since 2004 to highlight the environmental impact of the project and the undemocratic process of the construction, are routinely subjected to restrictions including the denial of basic medical services and essential staples including adequate food, water and shelter.
“The police unjustly control all entry points to the protest site, causing severe and malicious suffering to protestors, many of whom are in their 70s and 80s,” said Ms. Minsun, a member of the Human Rights Monitoring Team, a coalition of national civil society activists tasked with monitoring the protest site.
CIVICUS urges the government of the Republic of Korea to fully respect the freedom of assembly and expression of its citizens by: (i) immediately releasing and dropping the charges against all protestors persecuted for their role in the demonstrations; (ii) end further harassment of all individuals involved in the peaceful exercise of their rights to assemble, including undue restriction on the access to basic staples; and (iii) initiate an inclusive dialogue with a cross-section of civil society and residents of Miryang city to discuss an equitable and sustainable solution to the dispute.
