Lu says human rights commission will be key step

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) announced yesterday that the draft Organization Law of the National Human Rights Commission has been completed and will be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review in the forthcoming session.

Lu said the draft's completion brings one of President Chen Shui-bian's principal campaign promises a step closer to realization, after nearly two years of preparatory work.

"President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) vowed to turn Taiwan into a human rights-oriented nation (人權立國) when he took the presidency," Lu said at a press conference at the Presidential Office. "Now we are delivering the president's promise."

The draft law was drawn up by the advisory group to the president on human rights on which Lu serves as convener and organized in October 2000.

Lu said that the commission will report directly to the Presidential Office and function like the Control Yuan, the country's major watchdog institute.

Further regulations will be required to detail precisely how the commission would function, but it is intended that citizens would be able to file a complaint with the commission directly in the even they believe their human rights have been violated.

The commission will have the right to access archives and documents from government agencies in the course of its investigations into human rights violations.

"After its investigation, the commission can exercise powers of mediation, conciliation or arbitration between the two sides in a case," Lu said.

"It will not encroach upon the jurisdiction of the Control Yuan, however," Lu said, "nor will it deal with events or cases which are going through the courts."

Lu said the commission would have 11 members, who would be nominated by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). She said those members would be expected to distance themselves from political activities in order to maintain their neutrality and impartiality.

"The function of this Commission is to cover those areas which the Control Yuan and the judicial system fail to address," Lu said. "We just hope that people will have a place to turn to when they need help."

President Chen made three promises in regard to improving Taiwan's human rights situation during his inaugural address on May 20, 2000.

Those commitments include forming a national human rights commission, codifying world human rights standards into domestic law and increasing exchanges with international human rights organizations.

The pledges were warmly welcomed by the nation's human rights activists.

Lu said that the commission, once established, would submit annual reports on Taiwan's human rights situation to both the president and the Legislative Yuan no later than March 31 every year and that it would also provide reports on particular human right events or affairs on an ad hoc basis.

The draft needs to be passed in the Legislative Yuan in order for the commission to be formally established.