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Democracy
institutions all over the world call on the IBA to speak up on
Singapore
11 Oct 07
International
organisations across the world have endorsed a resolution urging
the International Bar Association (IBA) to speak up on human
rights abuses in Singapore during its conference next week.
The
IBA's annual conference is scheduled to begin this Sunday 14 Oct
07 and last through till 19 Oct.
Organisations such as the
World Movement for Democracy, the Council for the Community of
Democracies, Liberal International and the Club of Madrid as well
prominent lawmakers and
democracy advocates are signatories to the resolution, putting
Singapore firmly on the radar of the global democracy
movement.
They are calling for the IBA to "express
its concern at the lack of respect for the rule of law in
Singapore" and to "urge the
Singapore government to practice the rule of law
and not the rule by law by signing and ratifying
the ICCPR (international Covenant of Civil and Political
Rights)."
The IBA will organise a one-day Rule
of Law Symposium on 19 Oct 07 (For more information and to
register, click
here). Singaporeans are encouraged to
attend the Symposium to see how Singapore can better adhere to
the rule of law.
The
Resolution
THIS RESOLUTION
calls on the IBA which is holding its prestigious annual
conference in Singapore from October 14-19, 2007, to take an
unequivocal stand on the human rights violations and curtailment
of democratic development in Singapore. Such a stand is
consistent with principles outlined in the IBA's 2005 Resolution
on the Rule of Law adopted in Prague.
Appreciative of
the effort made by the IBA to hold the Rule of Law Symposium
during its annual conference and opening the attendance to
members of the public in Singapore;
Concerned
that there are several outstanding cases of criminal prosecution
and police investigation against democracy activists for speaking
in public and for holding public gatherings in Singapore;
Aware of the
on-going defamation suits against the Singapore Democratic Party
(SDP) and the Far Eastern Economic Review by Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew as well
as numerous past cases of defamation suits brought on by ruling
People's Action Party leaders and officials against members of
opposition parties;
Vexed by the
continued ban on SDP Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan's travel
overseas as well as the disbarment of his standing for elections
as a result of his bankruptcy from repeated defamation suits;
Alarmed at
the award of summary judgments to the PAP plaintiffs in
defamation lawsuits in 2001 and 2006 involving Chee Soon Juan,
Chee Siok Chin and the SDP, and the con-sistent and repeated
awarding of cases to the Singapore Government and the PAP in
court cases by the Judiciary;
Noting the
use of detention without trial on political dissidents and the
intimidation of released political prisoners;
Wary that
there is no independent election commission and that elections
are conducted by the Elections Department which is supervised by
the Prime Minister's Office;
Saddened by
the control of the media through state-owned companies like
MediaCorp and the Singapore Press Holdings as well as the ban on
political films and videos;
Observing
that Singapore has yet to ratify the United Nation's
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);
Regretting
that one of the objectives of the IBA's Rule of Law Symposium on
19 October 2007 is to give participants "a clear
understanding of the Asian perspective of the Rule of Law."
NOW THEREFORE THAT
WE, the undersigned, call on the IBA to:
Express its
concern at the abuse of human rights by the Singapore government
and the lack of respect for the rule of law in Singapore;
Urge the
Singapore government to practice the rule of law
and not the rule by law by signing and ratifying
the ICCPR;
Call on the
Singapore government to respect the universality of human rights
as en-shrined in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Meet with
Singaporean dissidents and victims of the Singapore Government's
human rights violations and invite them to speak at the Rule of
Law Symposium.
Reject the
notion of the "Asian perspective" of the Rule of Law
and reaffirm its commitment to the universal concept of the Rule
of Law.
Inform its
members of the human rights situation in Singapore by posting
this resolution on its website.
Signed,
Mr
Carl Gershman
President
National Endowment for
Democracy
www.ned.org
Ms
Ayo Obe
Member (Nigeria) and Chair, Steering Committee
World
Movement for Democracy
www.wmd.org
Mr
Richard Rowson
President
Council for Community of
Democracies
www.ccd21.org
Lord
John Alderdice
President
Liberal
International
www.liberal-international.org
Mr
Ted Piccone
Executive Director
Democracy Coalition
Project
www.demcoalition.org
Mr
Sean Carroll
Program Director
Club of
Madrid
www.clubmadrid.org
Mr
Vincent Brossel
Head of the Asia Desk
Reporters Without
Borders
www.rsf.org
Mr
Graham Watson
Member
European
Parliament
www.grahamwatsonmep.org
Mr.
Neric Acosta
Secretary General
Council of Asian Liberals
and Democrats
www.cald.org
Ms
Emily Lau
Member, Legislative Council
Frontier Party, Hong
Kong
www.emilylau.org.hk
Mr
Sam Rainsy
Opposition Leader
Member of Parliament
Sam
Rainsy Party, Cambodia
www.samrainsyparty.org
Ms
Tioulong Saumura
Member of Parliament
Sam Rainsy Party,
Cambodia
www.samrainsyparty.org
Mr.
Wang Dan
Leader, Tiananmen Square Protest
Member, Steering
Committee
Alliance for Reform and Democracy in
Asia
www.asiademocracy.org
Mr.
Larry Diamond
Board Member
National Endowment for
Democracy
www.ned.org
Ms
Cecilia Wigstrom
Member of Parliament
Liberal Party,
Sweden
www.riksdagen.se
Dr.
Herta Däubler-Gmelin
Chairperson
Committee of Human
Rights and Humanitarian Aid
German
Parliament
http://www.bundestag.de
Mr.
Basil Fernando
Executive Director of the Asian Human Rights
Commission
and the Asian Legal Resource
Cetnre
www.ahrchk.net
Mr.
Bo Tedards
Co-ordinator
World Movement for Democracy in
Asia
www.wfda.net
Ms
May-sing Yang
Vice president
Taiwan Foundation for
Democracy
www.tfd.org
Mr.
Gus Miclat
Executive Director
Initiatives for international
Dialogue
www.iidnet.org
Mr.
Timothy Cooper
Executive
Director
Worldrights
www.world-rights.org
Mr.
Fred Lubang
Regional Representative
Nonviolence
International
www.nonviolenceinternational.net
Ambassador
Julio A. Jeldres
Chairman of the Khmer Institute of
Democracy
www.bigpond.com.kh/
Mr.
Matteo Mecacci
Vice-President of the Senate, UN
Representative
Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and
Transparty
www.radicalparty.org
Mr.
Sivarasa Rasiah
Vice President
Parti Kaedilan Rakyat,
Malaysia
www.keadilanrakyat.org
Mr.
Chua Tian Chang
Chief Information Officer
Parti Kaedilan
Rakyat, Malaysia
www.keadilanrakyat.org
Mr.
Law Yuk Kai
Executive Director
Hong Kong Human Rights
Monitor
www.hkhrm.org.hk
Mr.
Roby Alamplay
Executive Director
Southeast Asian Press
Alliance
www.seapabkk.org
Dr
Richard A. Deck
Richard A. Deck, Chair, Political and
Collaboration Committee, and
Co-Chair, By-laws
Committee
Burmese American Democratic
Alliance
www.badasf.org
Dr
Vo Van Ai
President,
Quê Me: Action for Democracy in
Vietnam
www.queme.net
Ms
Penelope Faulkner
Vice-President,
Vietnam Committee on
Human Rights
www.queme.net
Mr
Princewill Akpakpan
Head
Legal/ Litigation Unit
Civil
Liberties Organisation, Nigeria
www.africaaction.org
Mr.
David Matas
Chair
Canadian Helsinki Watch
Group
www.ihf-hr.org
Mike
Mitchell
Orion Strategies
Washington, D.
C.
http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_754jc
Dr.
Paul Scott
Member, Steering Committee
Alliance for Reform
and Democracy in Asia
www.asiademocracy.org
Mr.
Ramon Casiple
Executive Director
Institute for Political
and Electoral Reform (IPER)
Philippines
www.iper.org.ph
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