Protesting the Ma Administration for Aligning with China's Low Human Rights Standards

During the first Lien-Hu meeting in 2005, human rights groups demanded of the Kuomintang: "Political power may be lost, but human rights must not." They urged the party to strongly demand the release of political prisoners and improvements in human rights from the Chinese government. When the Ma administration took office in 2008, it emphasized reciprocal exchanges with China. However, this so-called "reciprocity" has amounted to lowering Taiwan's human rights and rule-of-law standards to pander to China. Recently, during the visit of Chinese envoy Ch'en Yun-lin, the Kuomintang government treated Taiwanese protesters using China's human rights standards.

Examples of the Ma administration's heavy-handed practices that lower human rights standards include:

Clearing highway lanes, where even media accompanying vehicles were forced to pull over by police tailgating them; banning citizens from flying the national flag in public spaces; prohibiting citizens from saying "Taiwan is not part of China" in public spaces; taking away a citizen who was filming with a digital video camera near the Grand Hotel; stopping citizens from releasing balloons printed with the word "black-hearted"; barring a citizen riding a scooter with a "Snow Lion Flag" supporting Tibet's independence from passing under the pretext of "violating the Assembly and Parade Act" and dragging them directly off their vehicle.........

Grand Justices have previously stated: "Freedom of speech is a fundamental right of the people and is expressly protected under Article 11 of the Constitution. The State shall provide maximum protection so that its functions of self-realization, communicating opinions, pursuing truth, and supervising various political or social activities can be fully realized." Therefore, when executing their duties, police not only have the obligation to provide appropriate protection to people expressing their opinions, but should also assist them in exercising their freedom of expression. However, when facing citizens exercising their fundamental rights, Taiwan's police frequently resort to obstruction and suppression. In particular, the police during this period densely crossed the boundaries of performing duties and the principle of proportionality, seriously infringing upon the people's freedom of expression. These vivid examples of human rights violations are undoubtedly the greatest irony to the Taiwan government's self-proclamation as a "democratic and free country."

In addition to strongly condemning the police's excessive enforcement, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights solemnly initiates a joint statement by civil society organizations, demanding that:

1. President Ma publicly apologize to the people of the nation for betraying thirty years of achievements in Taiwan's human rights and rule of law, and for pandering to a dictatorial state.
2. National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chun and National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Chao-ming step down immediately.
3. A pro bono human rights lawyers group be formed to accept reports of human rights violations from citizens as the basis for further collective legal action against the state.
4. Police officers on the front lines of law enforcement remember that upholding constitutional values is the bounden duty of every law enforcement officer; blindly obeying illegal and unconstitutional orders from superiors constitutes a criminal offense. Do not become thugs who muzzle the fundamental rights of the people.
5. The Legislative Yuan immediately amend the "Assembly and Parade Act."

Initiating Organizations

Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Judicial Reform Foundation, Amnesty International Taiwan

Endorsing Organizations

Taipei Bar Association, Taiwan Labor Front, Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Policy Association, Humay Indigenous Culture Foundation, Alliance to Amend the Bad Assembly and Parade Law, Taiwan Environmental Protection Union, Citizen Congress Watch, Nuclear 4 Referendum Promotion Association, Youth Labor 95 Alliance, Green Party Taiwan, National Taiwan Normal University Humanities Society