The nation's first comprehensive and systematic official report on its human-rights situation is scheduled to be made public as early as next week, a source in the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
The source said the report will include human-rights violations in the armed forces and police.
According to the source, the Cabinet's task force for the promotion of human rights has completed a draft of the report and is now finalizing it.
"Since the DPP government pays a great deal of attention to human-rights issues, we've proposed that the premier hold a press conference to make public the report as he and his predecessor did with the human-rights white paper last year," the source said.
Last October, Premier Yu Shyi-kun announced the release the government's second human-rights white paper.
Yu also said the government intended to abolish the death penalty before May next year, replacing it with long-term or life sentences.
In February last year, then-premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
In addition to ensuring the people's right to self-determination, that white paper also outlined the long-term goals of safeguarding civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as protecting human rights for minority and underprivileged groups such as women, senior citizens and members of the armed forces.
According to the Cabinet source, this year's report will have four chapters covering civic and political power, economic, social and cultural rights, minority and special rights and a conclusion; it will also pinpoint areas requiring improvement.
The source said the report has been carefully worded in order to minimize any negative impact.
"Such controversial issues as prosecutors' searching members of the media and human-rights violations in the military and law-enforcement forces will be addressed," the source said.
The drafting of this year's white paper was contracted out by the task force to academics, the source said, adding that the job will be taken over by the national human rights council that will be established under the proposed "basic human rights law" (人權基本法).
The Presidential Office is still working on a draft proposal of the law.
"The bottom line is that the draft bill has to be feasible because the Cabinet is, after all, the body that has to implement the law," the source said.
The President's Advisory Group on Human Rights unveiled a draft of the bill two weeks ago.
The draft calls for the abolishment of the death penalty and would also authorize same-sex couples to marry, form families and adopt children.
The presidential advisory group was founded in October 2000 and is headed by Vice President Annette Lu (
Its task is to promote human-rights, help the nation participate in international human-right activities and advise the president on related issues.
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