대통령 후보자에게 보내는 8대 인권 의제
국제앰네스티는 7 백만명이넘는이들과함께 모든사람이인권을누리는세상을위해활동하는 세계적인운동조직입니다. 우리의비전은모든사람이 세계인권선언과다른국제인권기준에명시된 모든인권을누리게되는것입니다. 우리는어떠한정부나정치적이데올로기, 경제적이익및종교로부터독립된단체이며, 회원들의회비와일반시민들의후원금으로운영되고있습니다. Amnesty International 2017 별도로명시된경우를제외하고본저작물은크리에이티브커먼즈라이선스에따릅니다. ( 저작자표시, 비영리, 변경금지, 4.0 국제 ) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode 더자세한내용은국제앰네스티웹사이트내허가안내페이지를방문해주세요 : www.amnesty.org 국제앰네스티이외의저작권자가표시된자료의경우이는크리에이티브커먼즈라이선스를따르지않습니다. 표지사진 : 2015 년 11 월 14 일, 대규모시위도중백남기농민이경찰이쏜물대포를맞아부상을당하고끝내숨졌다. 그로부터 1 년후, 시위대가경찰의과도한물리력사용에책임을묻기위해거리에나왔다. Amnesty International 2017 년초판발행국제앰네스티 Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW, UK 문서번호 : ASA 25/5785/2017 원문언어 : 영어 amnesty.org amnesty.or.kr
목차 1. 평화적집회의자유보장... 1 2. 표현의자유보장... 2 3. 양심에따른병역거부인정... 3 4. 이주노동자의권리보호... 4 6. 북한과의인권대화추진및남한내북한이탈주민의권리존중... 6 7. 성소수자 (LGBTI) 권리보호... 7 8. 사형제폐지... 8 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
국제앰네스티는 2017 년대한민국대통령선거를앞두고후보자에게모든사람의인권을존중 보호 실현 증진할것을촉구한다. 또한한국은국제인권의무를다할것을공개적으로약속해야한다. 지난몇년간한국은주요인권분야에서후퇴하는경향을보였다. 특히정부는표현의자유와평화적집회의자유에대한권리에압박수위를높였다. 양심에따른병역거부자, 이주노동자, 성소수자 (LGBTI) 커뮤니티, 북한등지출신의비호신청자의인권역시부정되거나침해되고있다. 국회의박근혜대통령탄핵소추안가결전부터그이후로까지이어진수백만명의거리시위는많은시민이자신의권리를주창하는것에시급성을느끼고있음을보여준다. 새로선출될대통령은악화일로를걷고있는한국의인권상황을정상화하고인권의향유를가로막는중대한결점들의해결을최우선과제중하나로삼아야할것이다. 다음은차기대통령이해결해야할 8 대인권의제이다. 1. 평화적집회의자유보장 대한민국헌법은평화로운집회의자유를보장하고있지만, 집회를규율하는집회및시위에관한법률 ( 이하집시법 ) 등여타국내법과경찰의관행은국제인권법기준에미치지못하고있다. 과중한신고절차, 돌발 긴급집회관련규정미비, 특정집회를금지하거나광범위한제한을부과하는데있어당국이가지는폭넓은재량권등은모두집회주최자에게과도한부담을지우는요소다. 이와더불어집회과정에서의과도한물리력사용과법집행공무원의책무성결여는한국정부의국제인권의무에배치되는것이다. 백남기농민사건은법집행공무원의과도한물리력사용에대한책임추궁이부족하다는점뿐아니라관련현행법, 지침, 관행의미비한점을보여주는사례다. 2015 년 11 월 14 일, 대규모시위도중백남기농민이경찰이쏜물대포를맞아부상을당하고끝내숨지는일이있었다. 그로부터 1 년이넘도록이사건에대한수사는부당히지체되고있으며현재까지그누구도기소되지않았다. 2017 년 3 월 10 일, 탄핵된박근혜전대통령지지시위참여자 3 명이병원에후송된직후사망한사건은경찰의집회관리관행에대한검토와이사망사건에대한조사의필요성을드러내기도했다. 평화적집회및결사의자유에대한권리에관한유엔특별보고관은 2016 년 1 월방한후다음세가지이유를들어 법집행과국제인권법기준사이에다음과같은이유로일련의상충되는부분과간극이있다 는우려를표명했다. 1 1. 법률체계가다수핵심영역에서국제인권법기준에부합하지않는다는점 2. 법률체계가당국에과도한재량권을허용하는점 3. 그러한재량권을행사하면서도집회및결사의권리를존중 보호 촉진할의무에충분한주의를기울이지않고있다는점 1 마이나키아이, 평화적집회및결사의자유에대한권리에관한유엔특별보고관방한보고서, 유엔문서번호 A/HRC/32/36/Add.2, 2016 년 6 월 15 일 ( 이하 집회 결사의자유특별보고관방한보고서 ), para 90. 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
국제앰네스티는대선후보에게다음사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 긴급성을가진사안으로서백남기농민을사망에이르게했던물대포의사용등불필요하거나과도한물리력사용에책임이있는법집행공무원과그상급자를지체없이법의심판을받도록하고, 물대포사용관련현행규정이국제인권기준에부합하도록개정되도록할것 평화적집회의자유에대한권리가완전히향유되도록보장하고, 특히집회개최에유리한추정을법에명문화할것 집회관리의전반적접근방식을평화적집회가촉진될수있도록할것 법집행공무원의물리력사용을규율하는법규가유엔법집행공무원의물리력및화기사용에관한기본원칙등국제법기준에부합하도록하고, 모든법집행공무원이그에따라적절히훈련받도록보장할것 평화적집회의권리를촉진할정부당국의역할을구체화하는등국제인권법상의무에부합하도록전면적인집시법개정에착수할것 2. 표현의자유보장 국가보안법에의한구금과기소는북한을 이롭게 한다고간주되는자료를출판하고배포했다는혐의를받는이등표현의자유에대한권리를행사한이들을겁주고감옥에가두기위한검열방식으로지속적으로사용돼왔다. 유엔자유권위원회는 2015 년심의에대한최종견해에서시민적및정치적권리에관한국제규약은 단지적국의주장과일치하거나적국에대한동조를유발하는것으로여겨질수있다는이유만으로사상의표현을제한하는것을허용하지않는다 2 는점을재차지적한바있다. 지난 4 년동안국가보안법위반혐의를받았던사건중에는이석기전의원과통합진보당 ( 이하통진당 ) 당원 6 명에대한기소및수감사례도포함되어있다. 헌법재판소는 2014 년 12 월에통진당이 민주적기본질서 에반한다며해산결정을내렸는데, 한국에서특정정당을해산하는결정은 1958 년정당강제해산이후처음이라는점에서특히위험한징후라할수있다. 최근국가보안법위반혐의로체포된이들중에는지금은해산된 자주통일과민주주의를위한코리아연대 ( 코리아연대 ) 회원들과전자도서관 노동자의책 을운영하는이진영씨도포함되어있다. 2 유엔자유권위원회, 대한민국의제 4 차정기보고서에대한최종견해, 유엔문서번호 CCPR/C/KOR/CO/4, 2015 년 12 월 3 일. 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
국제앰네스티는대선후보에게다음사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 국가보안법을전면개정또는폐지하여한국의법이국제인권법기준에부합하도록하고, 국가보안법이자의적으로사용되거나괴롭힘이나의사 표현 결사의자유에대한권리를제한하기위한목적으로사용되지않도록보장할것 표현및결사의자유에대한권리의정당한행사만을이유로부당하게기소되고징역형을선고받은사람들을무조건적으로즉각석방할것 3. 양심에따른병역거부인정 사상, 양심, 종교또는신념의자유에대한권리를행사했다는이유만으로징역형을선고받고복역중인양심에따른병역거부자는 2016 년말기준 400 명이상인것으로집계됐다. 이는국제법상자의적구금에해당한다. 한국은전세계에서양심에따른병역거부자가가장많이수감된나라이자, 대체복무제를도입하지않는극소수의국가중하나다. 2012 ~2015 년사이헌법재판소에접수된양심에따른병역거부위헌소원사건은여전히심리중에있다. 2015 년초부터 2017 년 2 월사이일선지방법원에서병역거부자 17 명에대해무죄선고가있었지만, 검찰의항소로최소두명에대한무죄판결이번복됐다. 양심에따른병역거부자들은전과기록때문에채용이되지않는경우가잦아이중으로처벌받는것이나마찬가지다. 청년구직자들에게이문제는점차악화되고있는현재의경제상황과결부되어복합적인문제가되고있다. 정부유관기관다수는전과기록이있는양심에따른병역거부자를채용하지않고주요사기업들도대개채용과정에서구직자들의병역사항기재를요구하기때문이다. 국제앰네스티는대선후보에게다음사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 순수민간성격의대체복무제가없는상황에서단지군복무를거부할권리를행사했다는이유로수감된사람들을무조건적으로즉각석방하고, 향후병역거부자를수감시키지말것 양심에따른신념을이유로군복무를거부해수감된병역거부자의전과기록을말소하고충분한배상을제공할것 국제기준에부합되도록국내법을개정해양심에따른병역거부가인정되고각개인이병역거부자로등록할수있도록하는규정을마련할것 양심에따른병역거부자들이군복무를완전히면제받지않는경우이들이민간통제를받고군복무와기간이유사한, 완전히민간성격의적절한비처벌적대체복무를선택할수있도록보장할것 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
4. 이주노동자의권리보호 국제앰네스티의조사와여타자료에따르면여전히상당수이주노동자가인권침해에노출되어있다. 국가인권위원회가인터뷰한이주노동자중최소절반이상이최저임금도받지못하고, 초과근무를강요받았으며, 언어폭력을당한경험이있었다. 3 이주노동자들은사업장변경에있어불합리한제한을받고있으며이는결과적으로이주노동자들이고용주에게노동착취를당하게되는주요한원인이된다. 농축산분야등에서일하는많은이주노동자가일종의징벌 ( 해고, 비자갱신거부, 폭력위협등 ) 의위협속에서자신이동의하지않는조건으로일하도록강요받으며결과적으로강제노동에처해지고있다. 4 상당수의농축산분야이주노동자가강제노동등착취를목적으로한인신매매를당했다. 한국에서인신매매는형사범죄임에도불구하고인신매매에대한정의는국제법과일치하지않는다. 국제앰네스티는대선후보들에게다음사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 이주노동자의취업활동기간에더큰시간적여유가허용되도록법을개정하고, 이주노동자가사업장을변경했다는사유로비자연장 / 갱신신청이제한또는거부당하는일이없도록현행법을개정할것 근로기준법제 63 조를폐지하고특히근로기준법에서보장하는근로시간, 일일휴게시간, 유급주휴일등에대한권리가노동분야와관계없이이주노동자등모든노동자에게확대적용될수있도록보장할것 다음 4 개핵심국제노동기구 (ILO) 협약을비준하고그이행을보장할것 : 강제노동에관한협약 ( 제 29 호 ) 결사의자유및단결권보호에관한협약 ( 제 87 호 ) 단결권및단체교섭권원칙의적용에관한협약 ( 제 98 호 ) 강제노동철폐에관한협약 ( 제 105 호 ) 3 국가인권위원회, 농축산업이주노동자인권상황실태조사보고서, 2013 년 10 월, 111, 186-187, 190 페이지, http://www. humanrights.go.kr/common/board/fildn_new.jsp?fn=in_bb2013103111262611332591.pdf 2014 년 6 월 3 일접속 ( 한국어 ) 4 국제앰네스티, 고통을수확하다 : 한국농축산업이주노동자착취와강제노동, 2014 년 10 월, 국제앰네스티문서번호 : ASA25/004/2014, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa25/004/2014/en/ 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
5. 비호신청자와난민보호 한국정부는 2014 년에시리아비호신청자에게 인도적체류자지위 를부여해이들이시리아내전이끝날때까지한국에서일하고거주할수있도록결정한바있음에도 2016 년에시리아인 28 명을수개월간인천공항에구금했다. 이는한국이난민과비호신청자에대한국제법상의무를준수하지않았다는우려를자아냈다. 난민과비호신청자들을비인간적인조건에서자의적으로구금하는것은국제법으로금지되어있다. 현재유럽이겪고있는난민위기와아시아태평양지역의대규모난민인구를고려할때, 한국은시리아출신비호신청자들에게 인도적체류자지위 만부여하는현재방침을넘어서서난민인정에대한전반적정책과관행을재검토할필요가있다. 국제앰네스티는대선후보에게다음사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 비호신청자가자의적구금에처해지지않도록보장하고, 구금이정당한목적에필요하고비례의원칙에부합되는경우에한해최후의수단으로만사용되도록보장할것 구금된모든사람에게변호사접근권과의료조치를받을권리, 인도적인구금환경을보장할것 유엔난민기구 (UNHCR) 취약성기준에해당하는모든난민을재정착시키는등국제적인책임분담시스템에동참할것 난민과비호신청자를효과적으로보호할수있는정책과제도를마련하고이들이인권과존엄성을지키면서기본적인필요를충족시킬수있도록보장할것 6. 북한과의인권대화추진및남한내북한이탈주민의권리존중 이산가족, 강제실종, 북한이탈주민등수많은인권문제가남북관계의주요한특징이다. 한국대통령은이를포함한다양한인권문제를북한당국에제기할수있는고유한위치에있다. 그러나지난 5 년동안남북간의대화는대부분이안보문제에집중돼있었다. 개성공단이폐쇄되면서남북한주민들의직접적인교류역시중단됐다. 한국정부는북한에인권문제를제기하는데있어한국이처해있는독특한상황과북한과의관계를활용하지못하고있으며, 이는 2014 년유엔북한인권조사위원회 (COI) 보고서발표이후에도마찬가지였다. 또한, 2016 년탈북한중국닝보의북한식당종업원 13 명을구금한사실도현행북한이탈주민정착지원절차의적법성에의구심을품게했다. 국제앰네스티가파악하기로는북한이탈주민은최소 1 개월에서최장 6 개 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
월까지구금돼조사를받을수있고이후사회적응을위해 12 주간하나원에입소하여교육을받는다. 북한이탈주민은이같이장기간가족뿐만아니라자신이선택한변호인과접견할수없으며외부와의소통도차단된다. 이는 1988 년에채택된유엔모든형태의구금또는수감상태에있는모든사람의보호를위한원칙집제 15 원칙에위배되는것으로동원칙은 피구금자또는수감중인사람의외부와의소통, 특히가족이나변호인과의연락은수일이상차단돼서는안된다. 5 고규정하고있다. 국제앰네스티는대선후보들에다음의사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 향후남북대화에서인권이정기적인핵심의제가되도록보장할것 북한이탈주민재정착지원절차에대한철저한재검토에착수하고, 구금은가능한최단기간내로제한하고국제법기준에부합하도록보장할것. 또, 특히구금및신문전과정에걸쳐자신이선택하는변호인및시민사회단체등구금시설외부에있는이들과의접촉이즉각적으로허용되고가족및친지와연락을취할수있도록보장할것. 7. 성소수자 (LGBTI) 권리보호 한국정부는 2011 년과 2014 년성적지향과성정체성에근거한폭력과차별종식을촉구하는유엔인권이사회결의안에찬성표를던졌으며, 2016 년이문제를다루기위한독립전문가직위를신설하는데도찬성했다. 이와같이국제적문서에대한지지를표명했음에도불구하고한국정부는자국내레즈비언, 게이, 양성애자, 트랜스젠더및인터섹슈얼 (LGBTI) 의동등한권리를존중하고보호하는데에는지지부진한태도를보이고있다. 한국의성소수자시민사회단체들은정부당국등으로부터차별을받고있다. 2015 년 2 월에는비온뒤무지개재단의법인설립이불허됐고, 같은해 5 월에는서울지방경찰청이퀴어퍼레이드에대해금지통고를한바있으나법원이주최측의가처분신청을인용하여행사는예정대로진행될수있었다. 같은해 10 월 8 일에는공영방송인 KBS 의조우석이사가프레스센터에서열린토론회에서동성애자를 더러운좌파 라칭하고성소수자차별을선동하는발언을하기도했다. 6 유엔자유권위원회는 2015 년한국에대한심의에서성소수자를상대로한계속되는광범위한폭력과혐오발언을언급했다. 7 현재까지한국에는인권보호의범위를성소수자공동체까지포함하도록확대할유의미하고이행강제력을가진국가차원의차별금지법이존재하지않는다. 반면에군형법에서는군대내합의에의한동성간성관계 5 유엔문서번호 A/RES/43/173, 1988 년 12 월 9 일, 제 19 원칙및이하내용도참조할것. 강제실종협약제 17 조제 2 항제 D 호 유엔수용자처우에관한최저기준규칙 (2015, 넬슨만델라규칙 ) 규칙제 43(3) 호및제 58 호 자유권위원회일반논평제 20 호 ( 제 7 조 ), para 11 유엔문서번호 HRI/GEN/1/Rev.1, 1994 년 7 월 29 일, p30 6 경향신문, KBS 이사 동성애자무리는더러운좌파, 2015 년 10 월 8 일 7 유엔자유권위원회, 대한민국의제 4 차정기보고서에대한최종견해, 유엔문서번호 CCPR/C/KOR/CO/4, 2015 년 12 월 3 일. 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
조차금지하고처벌하고있다. 8 모든남성에게병역의무가부과되는한국에서게이남성은군복무기간동안 폭력, 괴롭힘, 언어폭력에시달리며막대한어려움을겪는다. 국제앰네스티는대선후보에게다음사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 성소수자공동체까지보호범위를확대하는포괄적인차별금지법을발의할것 군형법제 92 조의 6 의폐지를추진할것 민족, 성별, 실제나외견상보이는성적지향이나성정체성과무관하게모든사람을혐오발언과폭력으로부터보호할것 성적지향과성정체성에근거한용납할수없는폭력과차별을근절하고자하는성적지향및성정체성에대한독립전문가의활동에전적으로협조할것 8. 사형제폐지 국제앰네스티는한국에서 1997 년이래사형이집행되지않았다는점을환영하지만, 여전히사형선고는계속되고있으며, 2016 년말기준으로한국내사형수는모두 61 명이다. 2016 년유엔총회본회의에서는압도적과반의찬성으로사형제도의완전한폐지로향하는첫단계로사형집행모라토리엄을촉구하는 6 번째결의안이채택되었다. 9 이로써국제사회에서사형에반대하는국제적인공감대가커져가고있음이다시한번드러났다. 가장최근에발의된사형폐지법안이 2015년유인태전의원이발의한법안이다. 한때사형수였던그는그전에도사형폐지법안을발의한적이있으며, 지금까지사형폐지법안이국회에발의된것은모두 7번이다. 이번사형폐지법안은국회재적의원 298명중 172명의지지를얻었지만, 국회법제사법위원회에계류되다폐기됐다. 그이후사형제와관련된법안이발의되거나논의된적은없다. 국제앰네스티는대선후보들에다음의사항을공약할것을촉구한다. 모든사형수를지체없이징역형으로감형하고사형제도의완전한법적폐지를이끌어낼절차에박차를가할것 사형폐지를위한시민적및정치적권리에관한국제규약제 2 선택의정서를유보없이비준하도록추진할것 8 군형법제 92 조의 6 9 사형집행모라토리엄, 유엔문서번호 A/RES/71/187, 2016 년 12 월 19 일. 193 개유엔회원국중 117 개국이결의안에찬성했으며, 40 개국이반대, 31 개국이기권표를던졌다. 대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제국제앰네스티
국제앰네스티는세계적인인권운동조직입니다. 한사람이겪는불의는모두의문제입니다. 연락처 소셜네트워크 issue@amnesty.or.kr +82 (0)2 730 4755 facebook.com/amnestykorea @AmnestyKorea
대통령후보자에게보내는 8 대인권의제 지난몇년간한국은주요인권분야에서후퇴하는경향을보였다. 특히정부는표현의자유와평화적집회의자유에대한권리를완전히보장하는데실패했다. 양심에따른병역거부자, 이주노동자, 성소수자 (LGBTI) 커뮤니티, 북한등지출신의비호신청자의인권역시부정되거나침해되고있다. 새로선출될대통령은악화일로를걷고있는한국의인권상황을정상화하고인권의향유를가로막는중대한결점들의해결을최우선과제중하나로삼아야할것이다. 국제앰네스티는 2017 년대한민국대통령선거를앞두고후보자에게모든사람의인권을존중 보호 실현 증진하고, 한국의국제인권의무를다할것을공개적으로약속할것을촉구한다. 문서번호 : ASA 25/5785/2017 Korean 2017 년 4 월 amnesty.or.kr
SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. Amnesty International 2017 Except where otherwise noted, content in this document is licensed under a Creative Commons (attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives, international 4.0) licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode For more information please visit the permissions page on our website: www.amnesty.org Where material is attributed to a copyright owner other than Amnesty International this material is not subject to the Creative Commons licence. First published in 2017 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW, UK Cover photo: Baek nam-gi was injured and eventually died as a result of the use of water cannons by the police during a large protest on 14 November 2015. One year later, protesters take it to the street as not a single police officer was held responsible for excessive use of force. Amnesty International Index: ASA 25/5785/2017 Original language: English amnesty.org
CONTENTS 1. ENSURE FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY 5 2. GUARANTEE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION 6 3. RECOGNIZE CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION 6 4. PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS 7 5. PROTECT ASYLUM-SEEKERS AND REFUGEES 8 6. PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE WITH NORTH KOREA AND RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF NORTH KOREANS WHO HAVE ARRIVED IN SOUTH KOREA 8 7. PROTECT RIGHTS OF LGBTI INDIVIDUALS 9 8. ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY 10 SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 3
SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 4
Ahead of the presidential election in the Republic of Korea in 2017, Amnesty International calls on all presidential candidates to respect, protect, fulfil and promote human rights for all, and to publicly commit to meeting South Korea s international human rights obligations. In the last few years, the Republic of Korea has witnessed a regressive trend in key human rights areas. In particular the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly have been put under increasing stress by the government. Conscientious objectors, migrant workers, LGBTI communities and asylum seekers including individuals arriving from North Korea and others also experience denial or abuses their human rights. The millions of people demonstrating on the street prior to and even after the National Assembly s decision to impeach President Park Geun-hye illustrate the sense of urgency that many citizens feel regarding the need to stand for their rights. One of the top items on the new president s agenda should be to reverse the deteriorating human rights situation in South Korea and address a number of important shortcomings in the enjoyment of human rights including those in the following eight-point agenda. 1. ENSURE FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY While freedom of peaceful assembly is guaranteed in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, other legislation including the Assembly and Demonstration Act (ADA) as well as police practice governing assemblies fall short of international human rights law and standards. A cumbersome notification process, the absence of a legal provision allowing spontaneous and urgent assemblies, the wide range of options for authorities to entirely ban certain assemblies or to impose far reaching restrictions, are all elements in the ADA that places undue burden on organizers. These elements, along with occasional excessive use of force during assemblies and lack of accountability for law enforcement officials, are in contradiction of the international human rights obligations of the government. The case of Baek Nam-gi, a farmer-activist, illustrates not only a lack of accountability for the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, but also the inadequacy of current laws, guidelines and practice in this respect. Baek Nam-gi was injured and eventually died as a result of the use of water cannons by the police during a large protest on 14 November 2015. More than a year later, the investigation of this case has been unduly delayed with no one formally indicted to date. Three individuals who participated in demonstrations on 10 March 2017 in support of the impeached President Park Geun-hye died after being taken to the hospital from the protest site, further highlighting the need for review of policing practices and investigations into the deaths. The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association expressed his concerns after his visit in January 2016 to South Korea about a series of inconsistencies and divergence from international human rights law standards of implementation of the law arising because: 1. The legal framework does not comply with international human rights law and standards in a number of key areas; 2. The legal framework provides excessive discretion to authorities; and 3. While exercising this discretion, authorities do not pay sufficient attention to the obligations to respect, protect and facilitate assembly and association rights. 1 Presidential candidates should pledge to: Ensure, as a matter of urgency, that law enforcement officials responsible for unnecessary or excessive use of force, including the use of the water cannon leading to Baek Nam-gi s death, as well 1 Maina Kiai, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association on his mission to the Republic of Korea, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/32/36/Add.2, 15 June 2016, para 90. SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 5
as their superior officer(s), are brought to justice without delay, and to initiate the revision of existing regulations for the use of water cannons in conformity with international human rights standards; Ensure the full enjoyment of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and in particular, promote an expression in law of a clear presumption in favour of holding assemblies; Ensure that the overall approach in policing assemblies is to facilitate peaceful assemblies; Ensure that the law and regulations governing the use of force by law enforcement officials are in line with international law and standards, including the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms for Law Enforcement Officials, and all law enforcement officials are properly trained accordingly; Initiate a comprehensive revision of the ADA bringing it in line with the obligations of the Republic of Korea under international human rights law, including to specify the role of government authorities as facilitators of the right to peaceful assembly. 2. GUARANTEE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Detentions and prosecutions under the National Security Law (NSL) have been persistently used as a form of censorship to intimidate and imprison people exercising their right to freedom of expression, including individuals accused of publishing and distributing material deemed to benefit North Korea. In the concluding observations of its 2015 review, the UN Human Rights Committee reminded the government that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights does not permit restrictions on the expression of ideas merely because they coincide with those held by an enemy entity or may be considered to create empathy for that entity. 2 Among the cases of alleged NSL violations during the last four years were criminal prosecutions and the imprisonment of lawmaker Lee Seok-ki and six other members of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP). The Constitutional Court in December 2014 ruled to dissolve the UPP because the party had violated the country s basic democratic order. This was a particularly alarming sign, as it was the first time a political party in South Korea had been disbanded since 1958. Individuals arrested more recently for alleged violations of the NSL include members of the now-defunct Corean Alliance for an Independent Reunification and Democracy (CAIRD) and Lee Jin-young, owner of the online library Labour Books. Presidential candidates should pledge to: Work towards abolishing or fundamentally amending the NSL so that South Korean law conforms to international human rights law and standards and ensure it is not used arbitrarily or to harass and restrict the rights to freedom of expression, opinion and association; Immediately and unconditionally release all individuals unjustly charged and sentenced to prison terms solely for the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and association. 3. RECOGNIZE CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION At the end of 2016, at least 400 conscientious objectors to military service remained in prison solely for exercising their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief. These detentions are considered to constitute a form of arbitrary detention under international law. South Korea is the country with 2 Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the fourth periodic report of the Republic of Korea, U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/KOR/CO/4, 3 December 2015. SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 6
the highest number of imprisoned conscientious objectors in the world, and one of the very few not to offer alternatives to military service. A verdict from the Constitutional Court on the legality of conscientious objections in cases brought between 2012 and 2015 is still pending. Since the beginning of 2015 and until February 2017, district courts ruled in favour of 17 men refusing military duty, throwing out the charges against them. Appeals by the prosecution, however, resulted in the overturning of at least two of the acquittals. Conscientious objectors are punished twice as they are often denied employment due to their criminal record. This problem is compounded in the present increasingly difficult economic climate for young jobseekers. Many government-linked organizations will not employ conscientious objectors if they have a criminal record, and major private companies generally require applicants to provide details of their military service during the recruitment process. Presidential candidates should pledge to: Immediately and unconditionally release all individuals imprisoned solely for exercising their right to refuse to perform military service in absence of a genuinely civilian alternative and refrain from imprisoning conscientious objectors in the future; Have the criminal records cleared and provide adequate compensation for conscientious objectors who have been imprisoned for refusing military service by reason of their conscientiously held beliefs; Propose and sign into law national legislation, bringing South Korean law into line with international standards, by amending it to ensure that it provides for the recognition of conscientious objection and for a person to register his or her objection; Ensure that, if conscientious objectors are not entirely exempted from military service, they have the option to perform an appropriate alternative non-punitive service of a genuinely civilian character which is under civilian control and of a length comparable to that of military service. 4. PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS Amnesty International s research and other sources indicate that significant numbers of migrant workers continue to be at risk of human rights abuses. At least half of all migrant workers interviewed by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) do not receive the minimum wage, were forced to work beyond their contracted hours and were subjected to verbal abuse. 3 They also suffered from unreasonable limitations to their ability to change jobs, which is in turn a major reason for exploitation by their employers. Many migrant workers, including those in the agricultural sector, are compelled to work in conditions to which they did not agree under the threat of some form of punishment (e.g. dismissal, non-renewal of their visa and threats of violence) and consequently are subjected to forced labour. 4 Significant numbers of migrant agricultural workers have been trafficked for exploitation, including forced labour. While trafficking is a criminal offence in South Korea, the current definition is not consistent with international law. Presidential candidates should pledge to: Adapt the law to allow greater flexibility in the time frame within which migrant workers have to secure new employment, and amend the current legislation to ensure that an application for a visa extension or a renewal is not restricted or refused on the basis that migrant workers have changed jobs; 3 NHRCK, Fact-finding Report on the Human Rights Situation of Migrant Workers in Agricultural and Stockbreeding Industries, October 2013, pp111, 186-187, 190 and 201, http://www.humanrights.go.kr/common/board/fildn_new.jsp?fn=in_bb2013103111262611332591.pdf, accessed 3 June 2014 (in Korean). 4 Amnesty International, Bitter Harvest: Exploitation and forced labour of migrant agricultural workers in South Korea, October 2014 (ASA 25/004/2014), https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa25/004/2014/en/ SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 7
Work towards repealing Article 63 of the Labour Standards Act and ensure that the rights which the Act protects, in particular in respect to work hours, daily breaks and weekly paid rest days, are extended to all workers, including migrant workers, irrespective of which sector they work in; Work towards ratification and ensure implementation of the four fundamental ILO Conventions: No. 29 on Forced or Compulsory Labour, No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, No. 98 on Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining, and No. 105 on Abolition of Forced Labour. 5. PROTECT ASYLUM-SEEKERS AND REFUGEES Despite the government s decision in 2014 to allow Syrian asylum-seekers humanitarian status to work and reside in the Republic of Korea until the war ends in their country 28 men from Syria were detained in 2016 for months at Incheon International Airport. This raised concerns over the Republic of Korea s compliance with its obligations under international law towards refugees and asylum-seekers, including not to subject them to arbitrary detention under inhumane conditions. In view of the current refugee crisis in Europe and large refugee populations in the Asia Pacific, there is a need for the Republic of Korea to move beyond only granting humanitarian status to asylum-seekers from Syria, and revisit its overall policy and practice in terms of recognizing refugees. Presidential candidates should pledge to: Ensure that no asylum-seekers are arbitrarily detained and that detention is only used as a last resort, in cases where their detention is necessary and proportionate to a legitimate purpose; Ensure that all persons detained have the rights to access lawyers, medical care and to humane conditions of detention; Participate in a global system of responsibility-sharing, in particular to resettle all refugees who meet UNHCR s vulnerability criteria; Put in place policies and systems that ensure effective protection for refugees and asylum-seekers and enable them to meet their basic needs in a manner consistent with human rights and dignity. 6. PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE WITH NORTH KOREA AND RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF NORTH KOREANS WHO HAVE ARRIVED IN SOUTH KOREA The inter-korean situation feature a number of prominent human rights issues, such as separation of families, enforced disappearances, and the arrival of individuals from North Korea. The president of the Republic of Korea is in a unique position to raise these, as well as other human rights issues, with government authorities of North Korea. The dialogue between the two Koreas in much of the past five years, however, has been mainly dominated by security issues. With the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Park, direct exchanges between people of the two Koreas have also come to a stop. The government of the Republic of Korea has not been able to make use of its unique situation and relationship with North Korea to raise human rights issues, including after the release of the Report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People s Republic of Korea in 2014. SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 8
At the same time, the detention in 2016 of 13 North Korean restaurant workers who had been working in Ningbo, China, further called into question the legality of the existing settlement support process for North Koreans arriving in South Korea. During this period of detention and investigation, which, as Amnesty International understands it, can last anywhere from one to six months, and the following period of 12 weeks at the Hanawon education centre for social adaptation, the individuals are denied access to family and legal counsel of their choosing. They are also prohibited from communicating otherwise with the outside world during this extended period, which is in contravention of, among others, the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment adopted in 1988, which states in Principle 15 that communication of the detained or imprisoned person with the outside world, and in particular his family or counsel, shall not be denied for more than a matter of days. 5 Presidential candidates should pledge to: Ensure that human rights become a regular and integral part of the government s future dialogue with the authorities in North Korea; Initiate an overhaul of the resettlement support process for arrivals from North Korea, and ensure that individuals from North Korea are detained for the shortest possible period, and that their detention is in line with international law and standards, in particular by giving them prompt access to others outside the detention facilities, including legal counsel and civil society organizations of their choice during the entire length of their detention and during interrogations, and the ability to contact family and friends. 7. PROTECT RIGHTS OF LGBTI INDIVIDUALS South Korea voted in 2011 and 2014 in favour of UN Human Rights Council resolutions calling for an end to violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and in 2016 in favour of the establishment of the new mandate of an independent expert to address this very issue. Despite supporting such international statements of intent, the government has been slow to respect and protect the equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people at home. Civil society LGBTI groups in South Korea face discrimination including at the hands of authorities. In February 2015 the Beyond the Rainbow Foundation was refused incorporation, and in May the Seoul Metropolitan Police refused to grant a permit to the pride parade, which was only overturned by a court when the organizers filed a petition. On 8 October the same year, Cho Woo-suk, a board member of the public Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), called same-sex individuals dirty leftists and made statements that incited discrimination against LGBTI people at a panel discussion held at the Korea Press Centre. 6 In its 2015 review of South Korea, the UN Human Rights Committee also mentioned the continuing, widespread violence and hate speech against LGBTI individuals. 7 To date, there remains no meaningful and enforceable national anti-discrimination legislation that would extend human rights protection to LGBTI communities. On the other hand, the military criminal law of the country continues to prohibit and punish consensual sexual activity between people of the same sex in the military. 8 In the country, where military service is compulsory of all men, gay men face enormous difficulties in fulfilling their military obligations free from violence, bullying or verbal abuse. Presidential candidates should pledge to: Initiate a comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Act which extends protection to LGBTI communities; 5 U.N. Doc. A/RES/43/173, 9 December 1988. See also Principle 19, as well as Article 17(2)(d) of the Convention on Enforced Disappearance; Rules 43(3), 58, of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules, 2015); Human Rights Committee, General Comment No. 20 (Article7), para. 11, U.N. Doc. HRI/GEN/1/Rev.1, 29 July 1994, at p. 30. 6 Kyunghyang Shinmun, "KBS Board member says that group of homosexuals are dirty leftists," 8 October 2015. 7 Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the fourth periodic report of the Republic of Korea, U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/KOR/CO/4, 3 December 2015. 8 Article 92 (6) of the Military Criminal Act SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 9
Work towards repealing Article 92(6) of the Military Criminal Act; Protect all persons from hate speech and violence, regardless of ethnicity, gender, real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identities; Cooperate fully with the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in his efforts to eliminate the unacceptable violence and discrimination against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. 8. ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY Amnesty International welcomes the fact that no executions have been carried out in the Republic of Korea since 1997. But death sentences continue to be imposed, and 61 people remained on death row at the end of 2016. The growing international consensus against the death penalty was demonstrated again in 2016, when the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with an overwhelming majority adopted its sixth resolution calling for a moratorium on executions as a first step towards full abolition of the death penalty. 9 Lawmaker Yu In-tae submitted in 2015 the most recent bill to the National Assembly that would abolish the death penalty. Formerly a prisoner on death row himself, Yu had previously submitted the bill to the National Assembly. This is the seventh time that a bill to abolish the death penalty has been submitted. Although the draft legislation received the support of 172 out of 298 lawmakers, it was stalled in the Legislative and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly and was not approved. No bill related to the death penalty has been submitted or discussed since. Presidential candidates should pledge to: Commute without delay all death sentences to terms of imprisonment, and accelerate the procedures which would lead to the full abolition of the death penalty in law. Work towards ratification, without reservations, of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty; 9 Moratorium on the use of the death penalty, U.N. Doc. A/RES/71/187, 19 December 2016. Of the UN s 193 member states, 117 voted in favour of the proposal; 40 states voted against it and 31 abstained at the vote. SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Amnesty International 10
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SOUTH KOREA: 8-POINT HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES In the last few years, the Republic of Korea has witnessed a regressive trend in human rights. In particular, the government has failed to fully respect individuals rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. Conscientious objectors, migrant workers, LGBTI communities and asylum seekers including individuals arriving from North Korea have also experienced abuses of their human rights. One of the top items on the new president s agenda should be to reverse the deteriorating human rights situation in South Korea and address a number of important shortcomings including those in this agenda. Ahead of the presidential election in the Republic of Korea in 2017, Amnesty International calls on all presidential candidates to respect, protect, fulfil and promote human rights for all, and to publicly commit to meeting South Korea s international human rights obligations. INDEX: ASA 25/5785/2017 APRIL 2017 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH amnesty.org