광주인권상 수상자 ‘솜바스 솜폰’ 구출 서명 8천700명 동참

Yonhap News Agency: 31 August 2015

5·18 기념재단 “유엔·라오스 정부 등에 서명부 전달, 재조사·구출 촉구할 것”

(광주=연합뉴스) 장아름 기자 = 2015 광주인권상 특별상 수상자이자 3년째 실종 상태인 라오스의 농업과학자 솜바스 솜폰(Sombath Somphone) 구출 서명운동에 8천700명이 동참했다.

5·18 기념재단은 지난 5월 16일부터 지난 10일까지 70여일간 서명운동을 한 결과 총 8천700여명이 참여했으며 서명부를 유엔과 라오스 정부, 우리 정부, 주한 라오스 대사관 등 국제사회 주요기관에 전달할 예정이라고 31일 밝혔다.

서명운동은 솜폰이 수상자로 확정된 지난 5월 광주인권상 심사위원회에서 발의됐으며 광주기독교단협의회, 천주교광주대교구, 5·18 3단체(유족회, 부상자회, 구속부상자회) 등의 협조로 광주 곳곳에서 진행됐다.

서명에 참여한 주요 인사로는 윤장현 광주시장 인재근·박혜자·강기정·장병완·권은희 국회의원 등이 있으며 종교계·시민사회·문화예술계 인사들도 동참했다.

미국의 팀 샤록 기자, 조지 카치아피카스 교수, 바실 페르난도 아시아인권위원회 위원장, 아시아 인권상 수상자인 라티파 아눔 실레가르 변호사, 빈민운동가 와르와 하피즈, 야스다 마사시 JR서일본노조 집행위원장 등 광주를 찾았던 외국 인사들도 서명에 참여했다. Continue reading “광주인권상 수상자 ‘솜바스 솜폰’ 구출 서명 8천700명 동참”

人權觀察組織:寮國人權無進展

中央社商情網: 10 六月 2014

(中央社記者林憬屏曼谷2014年6月10日專電)人權觀察組織今天指出,寮國政府無法解決系統性的人權問題,包括嚴重限制基本自由、缺乏勞工權、未起訴就拘禁吸毒嫌犯,公民社會領袖頌巴斯失蹤至今仍令外界關注。

頌巴斯(Sombath Somphone)2012年12月在永珍被警方攔阻後失蹤至今,另一名環保人士宋包(Sompawn Khantisouk)2007年向警方報告後也失蹤。

人權觀察組織(Human Right Watch)亞洲副主任羅伯森(Phil Robertson)透過聲明指出,頌巴斯被強制失蹤,寮國當局以漠視抗拒國際社會對此案的關注,有關各國的政府不應坐視。

聯合國人權理事會今年10月將對寮國進行第2次的「全球定期審議」,檢視人權狀況。

人權觀察組織指出,寮國政府在2010年第1次全球定期審議上作出的承諾,一直無法作出具體改變,寮國應該批准國際人權公約,終止對言論、集會、結社、媒體的限制,寮國的勞工法仍無法達到國際標準。

人權觀察組織表示,寮國政府應該調查並終止毒品拘禁中心濫權的情況,改由有適當醫療、自發性、社區為主的方式,對毒品依賴進行治療。

羅伯森說,寮國政府無法容忍人民持有異議,以傷害人權的法律與長期拘禁避免任何人挑戰它的權力,寮國人民害怕政府,因為他們知道官員幾乎可以不受懲罰。

人權觀察組織今天把寮國的人權紀錄評論提交給聯合國,評論中指控寮國政府無法解決系統性的人權問題。

寮國異議人士失蹤500天 妻子要求真相

中央廣播電臺: 30 四月 2014

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寮國著名的民權異議人士薩馮內(Sombath Somphone)(AFP)

寮國著名的民權異議人士薩馮內(Sombath Somphone)失蹤已經500天,他的妻子29日在華盛頓表示,至今完全沒有任何訊息,不知道薩馮內到底發生了什麼事。

薩馮內最後一次露面是在2012年12月15日。根據監控錄影顯示,員警在首都永珍一個檢查哨攔住了薩馮內的座車。幾分鐘之後,一群身份不明的人強迫薩馮內坐上另外一輛車,隨後開走。

監控錄影顯示,薩馮內是在員警知情的情況下被帶走。不少人更認為,寮國政府是此事件的同謀。

雖然寮國安全部門否認參與此事,但薩馮內的失蹤已在一黨專政的寮國產生恐嚇作用。

薩馮內新加坡籍的妻子正在美國訪問,呼籲歐巴馬政府和國會對寮國施加壓力,以早日找到薩馮內。

薩馮內曾因引導年輕人參與發展計畫,在2005年獲得有亞洲諾貝爾和平獎之稱的麥格塞塞獎(Magsaysay Award)。但在媒體全由國家控制的寮國,薩馮內獲獎的消息遭到封鎖。

NGOs speak out

We, the undersigned 62 regional and international organizations, express outrage over the Lao Government’s ongoing failure to shed light on the enforced disappearance of prominent activist and civil society leader Sombath Somphone.

62 Non-governmental organizations have released a statement calling for a new investigation into the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone.

Signatories include NGOs from all ASEAN countries, except Brunei and Laos. The full statement is available in English here, and in Chinese here.

Japan: Raise Concerns About Abducted Lao Activist

Human Rights Watch: 11 December 2013

中国语文 Langue française

One Year On, Sombath Somphone Remains Forcibly Disappeared

Screen Shot 2013-02-20 at 9.39.28 AM“On the one-year anniversary of Sombath Somphone’s abduction, Prime Minister Abe should break Japan’s public silence and call upon the Lao government to reveal the truth about Sombath’s fate. Japan’s words carry weight since it is the largest donor to Laos. Prime Minister Abe should use this leverage to send a strong message to the Lao leadership that it needs to stop ignoring the pleas to reveal what happened to Sombath.” Kanae Doi, Japan director

(Tokyo) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan should raise concerns about the enforced disappearance of a prominent civil society leader in the prime minister’s meeting  with Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong at the Japan-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International Japan, Mekong Watch, Empowerment For All Japan, and two other Japanese nongovernmental organizations said today in a joint letter to Prime Minister Abe.

The Japan-ASEAN Summit, scheduled from December 13-15, 2013, falls during the one-year anniversary of the abduction and forcible disappearance of Sombath Somphone, a recipient of the 2005 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. Sombath was taken into custody by authorities at a checkpoint outside a police station in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on December 15, 2012. Continue reading “Japan: Raise Concerns About Abducted Lao Activist”

亚洲哀恸多位宗教领袖、爭取人权者和异见人士被「强迫失踪」

AsiaNews: 09 September 2013

“Asia’s sad record of ‘enforced disappearances’ of religious leaders , activists and opponents”

从西藏班禅至老挝人权人士,亚洲有几千人被当地政府拘留,他们被视为会威胁政府当局的管治。观察家认为,报告列举的案例只是冰山一角,实际情况更加恶劣。多国政府否认有此问题,只有四个国家已确认国际公约。

ASIA_-_PanchenLama_PLACARD曼谷(亚洲新闻/通讯社) – 在亚洲,西藏班禅、泰国穆斯林律师会主席和老挝争取农民权益人士的共通点,是他们成为所谓的「国家拘留」受害者,他们被限制自由和关押在不明地方,因为他 们都是「敏感」的政治和宗教人物,甚至因为他们的观点以人权为先。随着时间逝去,这些「国家囚犯」可以得到公平审讯及其家人想讨回公道的机会,变得越来越 微弱。这种打压异己的方法,却在整个亚洲大陆越来越普遍。

亚洲反对被迫失踪联会秘书长玛利·巴嘉素(Mary Aileen Bacalso)指出,这个现象很普遍。「亚洲的人口众多,是最多失踪案件的洲份。」此外,官方确证关闸的人数,却是远低于实际的数字,尤其是在政权专制国家,以及常有武装冲突的地区。

在亚洲,据争取人权人士说,有几万人处于「强迫失踪」,但只有一小部分有被记录,因为害怕当局报复。联合国工作组在2012年的报告中指出,在亚洲 国家中,斯里兰卡有5,676宗审查和未完案件、菲律宾621宗、尼泊尔458宗、东帝汶428宗、印度353宗、印尼162宗、巴基斯坦99宗、泰国 71宗、中国30宗及北韩20宗。联合国代表形容此为「冰山一角」。

在西藏,班禅于1995年当他只有6岁时被中国当局带走,一直没有消息,他是藏传佛教的第二位最重要的宗教领袖。然而,在该地区的激进组织,有数百 名僧侣及活动家在北京警方拘留,采用相同的方法来抑制国内持不同政见者,又如在新疆的穆斯林自治区。东南亚国家,如泰国、印尼、菲律宾和老挝,都是国际人 权组织所关注的国家。自1990年代在苏哈托将军的独裁统治期间的强迫失踪,以至亚洲诺贝尔奖得主老挝森巴(Sombath Somphone),他自去年12月被老挝万象当局带走。

对于人权人士或者组织争取释放「被迫失踪」者,往往遇到最大的问题是亚洲多国政府否认有这个问题,也不承认有任何强迫失踪案件。亚洲只有日本、哈萨 克斯坦、伊拉克和柬埔寨四个国家,有确认国际公约,保护所有的人不会被国家拘留。联合国呼吁设定一个有罪不罚的过渡期,政府要负起这责任,而家庭希望与他 们的亲属早日团聚。

Where is Lao activist Sombath Somphone?

Deutsche Welle: 15 March 2013

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Sombath Somphone went missing three months ago after being stopped at a police post. Human rights organizations allege he was ‘disappeared’ by the authorities

On Saturday, December 15, 2012 at six o’clock in the evening Sombath Somphone and his wife Ng Shui Meng left work in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. They travelled home in separate cars, agreeing to meet for dinner.

However, Sombath never arrived. Ng Shui Meng lost sight of his jeep near a police post on Thadeua Road.

Security camera footage shows what happened next. The activist was stopped by police and taken into the post. A few minutes later a motorcyclist stopped and drove off in Sombath’s jeep. Then a truck came; two people got out, took Sombath and drove off with him. He has not been seen since. His phone can also not be tracked down.

Government is not credible

Relatives and friends of the activist have come up against a wall of silence. Although the government of the one-party state officially says they are looking into his disappearance, human rights organizations believe the authorities are involved.

On December 19, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement confirming the incidents as recorded on the security camera, but claimed he was kidnapped for personal or business reasons.

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