As the world marked Human Rights Day yesterday, the Legislative Yuan passed the Organic Act of the National Human Rights Committee (國家人權委員會組織法), paving the way for the establishment of a committee to promote human rights as part of the Control Yuan.
The act was based on the UN’s Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions, also known as the Paris Principles, and Amnesty International’s Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which stipulate that UN member states must put in place a national mechanism to promote and protect human rights, said the Control Yuan, which took part in drafting the act.
The committee is to be created to guarantee people’s constitutional rights; lay down conditions necessary for protecting and improving human rights; ensure that social justice and equality are realized; bring the nation in line with international human rights standards; and establish the universal value of human rights and related regulations, the act says.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The 10-member committee is to be headed by the Control Yuan president and composed of seven Control Yuan members, with the other two to be selected from candidates nominated by committee members and replaced annually, it says.
The committee is to take charge of investigating cases involving torture or violation of human rights or any degrading treatment, report its findings and give suggestions to the government, it says.
It is to push human rights legislation based on international literature on human rights, the act says.
It is to make recommendations on legislation, legal amendments and constitutional amendments based on international standards on human rights, in addition to publishing annual national human rights reports, it stipulates.
It is to promote education on human rights and facilitate international exchanges and cooperation on human rights, the act says.
The Organic Act of the Control Yuan (監察院組織法) was also amended to accommodate the new legislation. It includes a provision that allows the Control Yuan to confer membership on individuals who specialize in human rights protection, are renowned in the field, or are from non-governmental organizations concerned with the protection of human rights.
In related news, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Carl Gershman, president of the US nonprofit National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a report published on the Presidential Office Web site said.
“President Tsai emphasized that safeguarding democracy is our responsibility and supporting democracy is our conviction. She also called on everyone to join hands and continue to work together for democracy, freedom and human rights,” the report said.
“For many years, the NED has kept a close and constant watch on democratic development around the world, which has been a great source of encouragement for advocacy groups in many countries. The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy is flourishing today, also due to President Gershman’s support,” Tsai said at the awards ceremony.
Tsai also spoke about the Diplomacy Training Program founded by former Timor-Leste president Jose Ramos-Horta.
The program has provided assistance to more than 3,000 human rights workers from over 60 countries in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, providing training on topics such as the rights of indigenous peoples, migrant workers and LGBT people, and environmental protection, she said.
National Taiwan University (NTU) yesterday said it disqualified a person from an entrance examination for using AI smart glasses to cheat, along with two others for making untruthful statements in their curriculum vitae. The three applicants were given null scores, Taiwan’s highest-ranked university said, calling on prospective students to be honest in the admissions process. NTU registrar Lee Hung-sen (李宏森) said that the cheating applicant wore a hat and thick-rimmed glasses to the second written exam for medical school, claiming that they felt cold. Suspicions were aroused when the applicant stared oddly at the test for long stretches while steadily bringing the paper
MILITARY ISSUES: A partisan divide between the Cabinet and the legislature ‘raised questions about Taiwan’s ability to adequately fund its defense,’ the report said Taiwan’s defense budget, military personnel numbers and resilience are challenges to its ability to meet national defense goals, the US Naval Institute said in a report published on Tuesday. In response to the perception of a growing military threat posed by China, Taiwan has embarked on an effort to enhance the capabilities needed to deter an attempt by Beijing to annex the nation by force, the institute said in the US Congressional Research Service report, titled Taiwan: Defense and Military Issues, which was filed on Thursday last week. Taiwan’s defense budget increased by about 7.5 percent from 2024 to last year, it
66 FIGHTER JETS: The aircraft is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan — a significant step forward in the nation’s modernization program, a lawmaker said The first of Taiwan’s order of F-16V Block 70 aircraft has been sighted in Texas ahead of delivery, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said. Taiwan’s first F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft, tail number 6831, was seen flying from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Greenville, South Carolina, to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas, Wang wrote on Facebook yesterday. The plane is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan, marking a significant step forward in the Republic of China Air Force’s modernization program, Wang said, citing military analysts. The F-16V Block 70 is a new-build version
NOT JUST NUMBERS: What matters to intelligence work is crucial, reliable information, so even a few credible leads can be highly valuable to national security, a legislator said The National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday said it has finished the establishment of an information-reporting channel for Chinese nationals, the aim of which is to broaden intelligence gathering on China’s political, military, economic and social developments. Chinese nationals can submit information on the Web page, https://report.nsb.gov.tw, the NSB said in a statement. The move aims to expand the bureau’s diverse intelligence sources and is pursuant to the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), it said, adding that it referenced practices adopted by intelligence agencies in the US, the UK and Israel. An increasing number of people are approaching Taiwanese agencies to provide information, as
RSS