#South_Korea #UPP December 19, 2014 Dear Sir/Madam Once again, this is Lee So-hee, the assistant of the Chairperson of the Unified Progressive Party (hereafter the UPP), in South Korea. Actually I was. Today I lost my job in the UPP as the Constitutional Court’s ruling to dissolve our party. I would like to share comments of chairperson Lee Jung-hee when the Constitutional Court made a decision to dissolve the UPP, and to strip five lawmakers of the UPP of their seats. With the Park Geun-hye administrations official request November 2013, the government has started its efforts to disband a political party for the first time in Korean constitutional history. Please see comments of the Chairperson Lee of the UPP as the below; Respected and beloved citizens, Democracy has completely collapsed. The Park Geun-hye government has rolled our country down into a dictatorship. The Constitutional Court, itself a product of the June Peoples Uprising of 1987 for Democracy, has unlatched the gate to totalitarianism, based on fiction and imagination. As of today, the platform of self-reliance, democracy, equality, and peaceful unification, as well as politics by/for workers, farmers, and the people are banned. Dark times, where freedom of expression and assembly is completely denied, lie ahead. Citizens, I am truly sorry. I have failed in my responsibility to defend democracy. I lost the Unified Progressive Party (UPP), the fruit of fifteen years of progressive politics, to a dictatorial government. Today, I am defeated. For the crime of failing to prevent the retreat of history, please hold me responsible. The government in power dissolved the UPP today and will tie down our hands and feet. But they cannot dissolve our dream for progressive politics, nurtured in our hearts. The government banned the platform of self-reliance, democracy, and unification, but it cannot ban our love for the weary and our divided peninsula. Because they cannot stamp out our dream and love, no government can stop, and we will not abandon, progressive politics. Respected citizens, Do not forget. Remember the law of history that the more they trample on our desire for democracy and progress, the more extensively it will spread. The outdated system of national division, buttressed through red-baiting, is destined to crumble. I am confident that the dream of progressive politics, shared by the UPP and the people, will only grow. The UPP and I have faith in South Koreas future. Our people will rise up from this bitter moment and march onward. I express my heartfelt gratitude to people from various sectors, who, despite our shortcomings and overcoming political difference, stepped forward to do their part in the fight against the UPPs dissolution, as well as all those who have rooted for progressive politics and embraced the UPP. I will cherish the friendship we shared as true friends during a time of hardship. On behalf of the party, I bow my head and give respect to workers and farmers, the root and center of the UPP, for their unwavering support and trust. I will not forget, even for a moment, our failures, our responsibility, our dream, and our love. We will be creating our country of democracy and peaceful reunification with citizens. The Amnesty International also had a press conference and addressed comments on the decision of the Constitutional Court. Please click on the link or see as below; ▪ South Korea: Ban on political party another sign of shrinking space for freedom of expression amnesty.org/en/news/south-korea-ban-political-party-another-sign-shrinking-space-freedom-expression-2014-12-19 A decision by South Korea’s Constitutional Court to dissolve an opposition political party could have chilling consequences for freedom of expression and association in the country, said Amnesty International. The court found that the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) violated the country’s “fundamental democratic order” after the government accused the party of supporting North Korea. The ruling also disqualified all sitting UPP lawmakers from representing the party. “The ban on the UPP raises serious questions as to the authorities’ commitment to freedom of expression and association,” said Roseann Rife, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International. “The dissolution of a political party can have far-reaching consequences and should only be taken with the utmost restraint.” The Constitutional Court considered the case against the UPP at the request of the government. This was the first such request from a South Korean government since the end of dictatorial rule in 1987. The last time a party was disbanded was in 1958. The ruling comes off the back of an increasing number of cases in recent years in which South Korea’s vague National Security Law (NSL) and other laws have been used to suppress dissent and alleged support for North Korea. “The government is increasingly using national security as a guise to repress political opposition and curtail freedom of expression,” said Roseann Rife. The Supreme Court of South Korea is expected to rule soon on the final appeals of seven members of the UPP convicted in 2014 for alleged crimes of ‘inciting an insurrection’ and violating the NSL. “The space for freedom of expression has been vastly diminished in recent years. The authorities are using the NSL to suppress dissent and persecute individuals with opposing political views,” said Roseann Rife. “Security concerns must never be used as an excuse to deny people the right to express different political views.” I ask your attention for Democracy, Justice and Peace in South Korea. And I would appreciate that if you can share our story in your community. Thank you. Sincerely, LEE So-hee Former Assistant of the Chairperson of the UPP
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 12:42:38 +0000
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