::: The May18 Memorial foundation :::

2012 Gwangju Asia Forum

Apr, 30 2012 09:42:07 GMT

��2012 GWANGJU ASIA FORUM��

16th ~ 18th May

General Information

⧠ Background

The first May event was held in 1999 as a joint gathering of organizations supporting victims of national violence in Asia. The meeting continued to grow in scale until in 2010 it was renamed Gwangju Asia Forum. The Forum included not only victims�� support organizations but also human rights experts, pro-democracy activists, academics from relevant fields and other movement representatives from across Asia. The May event has become a valuable opportunity for activists to exchange and network with one another in workshops relating to peace, human rights and democracy.

⧠ Objectives of Forum

The 2012 GAF provides us with the opportunity to examine and tackle social issues in Asia. This year��s GAF will cover issues of trauma rehabilitation for human rights violations resulting from state or national violence, the securing of national historical justice processes, solidarity workshops on conducting judiciary watch activities in Asia and monitoring and assessing Asian democracies. By confronting these issues, the workshops aim to address Asian society's current problems through comprehensive examination of civil society alternatives. The 2012 GAF also includes a networking meeting and co-MOU signing ceremony for strengthening regional cooperation between peace, democracy and human rights museums and foundations in East Asia.

The 2012 GAF program includes the welcoming reception for the 2012 World Human Rights Cities Forum on the evening of the 16th of May as well as the annual festival on the Eve of May 18 held on the evening of the 17th of May, the 32nd Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony held on the morning of the 18th of May and the 2012 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Award Ceremony to be held on the evening of the 18th of May.

Please see attached file for the full program schedule and additional information about the 2012 GAF.

Save Soni Sori from death in jail

Apr, 30 2012 00:32:10 GMT

Open letter to the Prime Minister, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister regarding Soni Sori��s health
29 April 2012, 8:43 am
Sunday 29th April 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts:
Kamayani Mahabal: +91 9820749204 (India)
Vinay Bhat: +1 412-527-7985 (US)
Citizens appeal to PM, CM: Save Soni Sori from death in jail
In an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India and other officials, about 250 concerned activists, academics, intellectuals, students, professionals and democratic organisations have demanded immediate medical attention for the Adivasi school teacher, Soni Sori, 35, currently in custody in Raipur Central Jail, Chhattisgarh. Sori��s condition is believed to be rapidly deteriorating as a result of torture and sexual abuse at the hands of the Chhattisgarh police. She is the mother of three young children. Signatories to the letter include members of the National Advisory Council Harsh Mander and Aruna Roy, writers Arundhati Roy and Meena Kandasamy, respected economist Jean Dreze, Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan and renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky.
Soni Sori was arrested in Delhi on 4th October, 2011, where she had gone to seek legal assistance, fearing for her life after repeated harassment by the Chhattisgarh state police. Despite her pleas in the courts that she be held in Delhi, she was sent back to Chhattisgarh. After seeing preliminary indications that she had been tortured in police custody, the Supreme Court ordered an independent medical examination at NRS Medical College, Kolkata, where doctors found stones lodged in her vagina and rectum. In a series of letters written to the Supreme Court Advocate from jail, Sori recounted how she was stripped, electrocuted, and physically and sexually tortured by the police.
More than six months after she was tortured, Sori continues to be imprisoned in Chhattisgarh and has received virtually no follow up medical treatment for the injuries she sustained in police custody and the infections that have developed as a consequence. According to two people (one of whom is her lawyer) who were allowed to meet Sori in prison last week, her face was visibly swollen and her hands and feet appeared abnormally thin, indicating severe weight loss. Sori complained of a severe burning sensation while passing urine and of blisters on her thighs and her private parts. The magistrate in the Dantewada court, where Sori was produced earlier in the week, is reported to have remarked that she appeared unwell. According to the jail doctor in Raipur, Sori suffers from fluctuating and high blood pressure and from anaemia. Yet, on those occasions when she has been taken to the Raipur Medical College, she met with ridicule, indifference and inadequate care from the doctors and other hospital personnel. Police interference with the doctors is also suspected.
No investigation or action has been initiated against the police officers responsible for her torture. On the contrary, Superintendent of Police Ankit Garg, named in Sori��s letters, was awarded a Gallantry Medal on Republic Day, 2012. Sori��s petition before the Supreme Court asking to be transferred out of Chhattisgarh has been subjected to repeated delays and is still pending. Her health continues to deteriorate in the meantime.
Sori is just one of many women subject to torture and sexual violence in custody. In a recent report, the Asian Centre for Human Rights documented that four custodial deaths had occurred daily in India over the past decade. Those demanding medical attention for Sori fear the worst by the time she is granted a final hearing.
The complete list of signatories is available here.

May 1st Deadline Reminder: Summer Course: HIROSHIMA and PEACE 2012 July 31-August 8 at Hiroshima City University

Apr, 25 2012 02:22:39 GMT

Summer Course: HIROSHIMA and PEACE 2012 July 31-August 9 at Hiroshima City University

The aim of this summer course HIROSHIMA and PEACE 2012 is to provide students with a general understanding of the nature and attributes of war and peace by illuminating various aspects of wartime experiences, including the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and, at the same time, to explore contemporary issues related to world peace in the era of globalization.
We will offer undergraduate and graduate level courses. All the lectures are conducted in English in both courses.
In addition, free homestay accommodation will be available for non-Japanese participants.

- Undergraduate Level -

�� Eligible to participate: second year or higher undergraduate students or people who have already graduated

�� Tuition: 20,000yen: additional fee for the textbook will amount to 2,500 yen.

- Graduate Level -

�� Eligible to participate: graduate students, or people who already completed the Masters / Doctoral course

�� Tuition: 21,000yen: additional fee for the textbook will amount to 2,500 yen.

Application deadline is May 1, 2012.

A limited number of scholarships funded by a grant from Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) will be available to participants in the 2012 Hiroshima & Peace Intensive Summer Program.

Both undergraduate and graduate students (those who are enrolled in a Master's or Doctoral program) are eligible to earn credits in the course. The course will be conducted in English, so the ability to use spoken and written English is essential.

Please visit their website for more detailed information for course description, objectives, and application form.

For course description http://www.hiroshima-cu.ac.jp/Hiroshima-and-Peace/index.htm

(Website is available both in English and Japanese.)

Hiroshima City University

http://www.hiroshima-cu.ac.jp/

Statement of 2012 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights

Apr, 17 2012 06:44:41 GMT

Statement of 2012 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights

Korea, the only country which is militarily divided against itself, is known as a country which overcame the Korean war and achieved economic development while struggling for democratization. This was only possible due to the holy sacrifice of the people who struggled for the renovation of civil society and the realization of democratization as shown by the April 19 revolution, the May 18 democratization movement and the June 10 democratic uprising.

The Catholic Priest Mun Jeong Hyeon has demonstrated his consistent commitment to peace and justice during his life time. His concerns have ranged from his involvement in fighting against the 1970's dictatorship where the authoritarian regime carried out extrajudicial killings, to the 1980's military junta, to the struggle against the navy base at Gangjeong, Jeju till this day. This member of the Catholic clergy has resisted against injustice and abuse of state power, while encouraging the socially disadvantaged and conducting environmental and peace movements.

Starting from his leading role in the establishment of the Catholic Priests�� Association for Justice in 1974, he participated in the hunger-strikes and rallies for a democratic constitution in 1986, worked as a people's representative in public action against SOFA in 1999, worked as a co-representative for the shutdown of the U.S. army weapons testing area, struggled against the dispatch of Korean troops in 2003 and worked against the enlargement of U S military basis in Pyeongtaek. In 2009 he was one of the first people who rushed to encourage the Korean bereaved family members who were struggling for justice and fought for the fact-finding efforts and for punishment of the perpetrators while conducting Catholic Mass for the victims. At present he is continuing resistance against the U.S. naval base with the Gangjeong villagers in pursuit of peace and a sustainable life.

In this sense, the Committee of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights hereby announce that we have selected Father Mun Jeong Hyeong as the winner of 2012 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. As a Catholic priest, referred to as a 'street father', during his whole life he has been always beside the isolated and the supressed sharing their pains and inspiring hope. Through the life of Father Mun we are once again enlightened that democracy, human rights and peace are for and because of those who struggled for these things. We express our sincere concern to him, as he is currently hospitalized from falling in Gangjeong, Jeju.

17 April 2012

2012 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Committee

Chair of Committee
Kim Jun-tae (The May 18 Memorial Foundation)

Members of Committee*

Byun Yeon-shik (The Jihaksoon Justice and Peace Foundation)

Kang In-soon (Korea Progressive Academy Council, Kyungnam University)

Kim Gu-sung (Korea Democracy Foundation)

Lee Jeong-hyun (National Assembly)

Park Young-kwan (Busan Democratic Movement Memorial Association)

Son Shim-gil (National Human Rights Commission)

*In alphabetical order

Exploiting Indonesia: Adidas for London Olympics 2012

Apr, 17 2012 05:11:30 GMT

WHAT'S NEW ON CORPWATCH: Holding Corporations Accountable
Holding Corporations Accountable
http://www.corpwatch.org

Exploiting Indonesia: Adidas for London Olympics 2012
Pratap Chatterjee
April 16th, 2012

Adidas, the German sportswear company, is making Olympics uniforms for the UK team at sweatshops in Tangerang city, near the main international airport of Jakarta, Indonesia. Young female workers are paid 5,000 rupiah (54 cents) an hour for a 65 hour work week, according to revelations made in the Independent newspaper.

See http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15705

Please feel free to write to me directly with story ideas, comments or
just to say hello. My address is "pratap@corpwatch.org"

Thanks for holding corporations accountable for their actions!

Pratap Chatterjee
Managing Editor

May Road Walking Tour on 13 April

Apr, 16 2012 03:00:02 GMT

May Road Walking Tour on 13 April

518 May Road Visitor Center opened on 21 March 2012 in the center of historical sight for Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980. The Center provides visitors a free walking map for 26 historical sight related to the Uprising and free-guided tour as well if you booked in advance (available in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean).

On 13April Friday, The May 18 Memorial Foundation invited 7 guests; our previous interns and participants to our programs such as Folk School held annually in August. They stayed for a certain period and have already explored around in town, however, we are glad to introduce them our new program ��May Road Walking Tour�� with our three May volunteer guides.

For tourists including our new interns this time, it is indeed a good opportunity to have a guided tour and to walk the same path where Gwangju civilians walked through and protested in the present past. You might have already read in books, watched documentary films, learned at schools, or heard directly from your family as oral history. The walking would help you understand the present history and how Gwangju Democratic Uprising was formed and deepen your knowledge about the Uprising. You would recognize that the historical uprising occurred in such a small and limited area.

We believe it would also be a meaningful walk for Gwangju residents and visitors outside of Gwangju.

Raising Their Voices: New Video of Iranian Views on the Military Option

Apr, 12 2012 02:39:14 GMT

http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2012/04/raising-their-voices-video/

Raising Their Voices: New Video of Iranian Views on the Military Option

(11 April 2012) Today the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran released a short video and accompanying letter-writing campaign featuring the viewpoints of eight prominent Iranians on the domestic consequences of a potential attack on Iran. These views are drawn from a 38-page report, Raising Their Voices: Iranian Civil Society Reflections on the Military Option, based on interviews with 35 leading and influential Iranian civil society activists, lawyers, intellectuals, and artistic and cultural figures, all of whom live in Iran.
��With the drumbeats of war increasing every day, policy makers should take note of this often ignored but important consequence of a military action against Iran,�� said Hadi Ghaemi, spokesperson for the Campaign.
The interviewees unanimously expressed their grave concern that a military conflict would exacerbate the human rights situation and provide a pretext for the full militarization of the Iranian state, all the while increasing civil and political repression. In the words of currently imprisoned lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh, ��If a war were to take place right now, the atmosphere would definitely become more restrictive, and more limitations would be imposed on intellectuals, human rights activists, social actors and students.��
_________________________________
ADD YOUR VOICE
VIEW INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA FEATURE
READ PRESS RELEASE
DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

Listen to the Campaign's Weekly Iran Rights Podcast
For the latest human rights developments in Iran visit the Campaign��s website
For interviews or more information:
Hadi Ghaemi, in New York: +1 917-669-5996

SRI LANKA: The government's abduction industry exposed

Apr, 10 2012 05:25:42 GMT

In one of the most shameful episodes ever to be revealed the Sri Lankan government's involvement in the 'abduction industry' was exposed last night (April 9) when the government took action to deport Premakumar Gunarathnam alias Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Dayalal who was abducted on April 6, 2012. This abduction brought immediately reactions from the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), human rights organisations and the Australian government. The Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Gotabaya Rajapakse initially declared that he was unaware of any such abduction. The Director General of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), Lakshman Hulugalle, previous stated to the BBC that there was no reason for the government to arrest Mr. Gunarathnam and Ms. Dimuthu Attigala. Then, even shortly before the deportation Gotabaya Rajapakse told the media that Mr. Gunarathnam would be charged in many cases.

The Police Spokesman, SP Ajith Rohana, now claims that Mr. Gunarathnam was abducted by some unknown persons and brought to Dematagoda and later to the Colombo Crime Division.

This episode clearly exposes the government involvement in abductions. Earlier two officers of the rank of captain from the Sri Lankan military and two other officers were arrested after an attempt to abduct the Mayor of Kolonowara. The photographs of these officers were taken by their captors and published leading to their identification. The government later claimed that they were mistakenly arrested while they were on their way to arrest some army deserters.

The latest incident relating to Mr. Gunarathnam and Ms. Attigala has vividly exposed the government's abduction industry. The number of abductions in recent months has risen to around 60.

As long as Gotabaya Rajapakse remains the Secretary to the Ministry of Defense there is no likelihood of any credible inquiry into the allegations of the government's involvement in these abductions.

The Asian Human Rights Commission calls upon the government to appoint a high level inquiry into the abduction of Mr. Gunarathnam and Ms. Attigala and also all other recent abductions. Unfortunately, we are compelled to state such an inquiry is most unlikely due to the high level position held by Gotabaya Rajapakse who is also President Mahinda Rajapakse's brother.

The Sri Lankan opposition have an obligation to the people to demand such a high level inquiry into this particular incident and all other abductions. The newly formed Frontline Socialist Party and all other political parties need to make it a high priority to take all possible action to stop abductions taking place in Sri Lanka. It is also the duty of all civil society organisations to intervene effectively to ensure that the government takes effective action to remove all those in high positions who are suspected of having links to such abductions.

We also call upon the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, to request the Sri Lankan government to initiate a high level inquiry into this particular abduction as well as all reported abduction in recent months.
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-083-2012

May 18 PeaceJam Ambassadors Orientation

Apr, 09 2012 07:26:44 GMT

May 18 PeaceJam Ambassadors Orientation

On 7 April Saturday, May 18 PeaceJam Ambassadors�� had an orientation for 34 participants from different high schools in Gwangju.

PeaceJam is founded in Colorado, USA in 1993 and it aims that youth and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates work together to change the world. It started by Ivan Suvanjieff, a local in Colorado who came up with an idea to put young energy to something different from their daily lives with guns, violence, non-peaceful environment��. He talked to Dawn Engle who is a cofoundner and a chair of the Colorado Friends of Tibet. They both managed and talked to Dalai Lama about their ideas of working together with youth and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Dalai Lama invited other Nobel Peace Prize Laureates to get involved this PeaceJam program to educate, encourage, and work together with youth. This is a rough history how PeaceJam started. (For more information: http://www.peacejam.org/home.aspx)

The May 18 Memorial Foundation started this partnership program with PeaceJam in USA for our first time. We are very glad to have participants with full of energy and willing to learn together. The program is led in English because we will later send a few of participants abroad to workshops/conferences where they have opportunities to meet the Laureates and other PeaceJamers from different countries. We have overseas interns from our foundation as a facilitator in a small discussion group. We also hope this program will help develop their communication skills in English.

At the orientation on 7^th, we gave an introduction of PeaceJam and the half year program of ��May 18 PeaceJam Ambassadors��. In May we are expecting to meet Gwangju Prize Laureates. In August we will also have opportunities to meet various international workers from NGOs at ��Folk School�� organized by our foundation.

After introduction, we divided them into three discussion groups, went for a short field trip to Kim Dae Jung subway station, KDJ Convention Centre Nobel Prize Laureates Monument, and Liberty Park. In the Park, we were glad to see a May 18 Guide, our volunteer guide at May Road in downtown by a chance. His guide, though in Korean language, helped high school students understand deeper and wider about The Gwangju Democratic Uprising.

We are expecting to have educational and interactive program twice a month or so in half year till September. Even though students live and grow up in Gwangju, we sometimes have the lack of learning opportunities about our own city. We hope they will learn a lot not only about global issues around the world but also important history of where they live in.

May 18 Volunteers Opening Ceremony, 6th April 2012

Apr, 09 2012 02:19:52 GMT

May 18 Volunteers Opening Ceremony, 6^th April 2012

The May 18 Memorial Foundation provides many kinds of volunteer opportunities to Gwangju citizens and university students in Gwangju. We believe that interactions through volunteering benefit both of citizens and our foundation and that will also deepen their understanding about the Democratic Uprising and Gwangju, the city of human rights.

On 6th April, we held an opening ceremony for university students' volunteers who finished education programs. We had an opening speech by our Chariperson, Kim Juntae and introduced our team and staffs; General Affairs and Planning, Solidarity Team, Education and Culture Team, and Truth and Research Department. Then the volunteers voted and chose a leader of volunteers and they chose which team they would work together with for a year.

We hope all the volunteers will learn from our various works and develop their skills to be applied in the society.

Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering at The May 18. We are pleased to show you our work and to work with you.