Human Rights Body Protests Downsizing Plan
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The National Human Rights Commission Monday urged the government to cancel its plan to decrease the size of its organization, claiming the plan infringes on its independence.
The protest comes three days after the agency was informed it had to cut personnel of the commission by 21.2 percent for ``efficiency.'' The number of its staff will be slashed to 164 from the current 208.
After a meeting of all members Monday, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and Public Administration and Security Minister Lee Dal-gon were urged to put the plan on the backburner.
``The commission must be given autonomy for its reorganization,'' it said in a statement, adding the plan seriously infringes on its independence, which is stated in the United Nations-adopted Paris Principles, which state human rights promotion bodies should be independent from government power.
``The ministry only repeats that it has decided on the reorganization after analyzing the commission's structure, but is not disclosing the analysis result. The ministry should reveal it and prove the fairness of the restructuring,'' it said.
The commission also called for an emergency meeting between its Chairman, Ahn Kyong-whan, Han and Lee. Ahn took part in the commission's meeting after canceling plans to attend the meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions in Geneva, Switzerland, for one week from last Saturday.
Under the scheme, roles of departments for human rights infringement protection, discrimination correction, human rights policy and education on human rights will be decreased.
The ministry plans to present the revision bill at the vice ministers' meeting Thursday and have it endorsed at the Cabinet meeting March 31.
As for the reduction scheme, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said the government has neglected the commission's efforts for the last eight years since its foundation in 2001.
``The commission has been highly recognized globally and the government has said that the commission, as an independent organization, plays an important role in improving regulations and preventing human rights infringement and discrimination. Despite its own praise, the government aims to shrink the body in the name of efficiency, which is illogical,'' the group said.