Human rights activists rallied at the Legislative Yuan yesterday to protest lawmakers' failure to consider a draft amendment to the Assembly and Parade Law (
Yesterday was the last day of the legislature's fourth session in the sixth term.
Taiwan Association for Human Rights Secretary-General Dana Wu (
Replacing the requirement would be a notification system under which protesters would merely need to inform the relevant authorities as to when and where they plan to hold protests, Wu added.
Long controversial for allegedly concentrating too much power in the hands of police, the law has served as a lightning rod for human rights activists.
More than 10 rights groups, including the Public Education Alliance and the Green Party, rallied in the rain with Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (
Lai blamed the Democratic Progressive Party for blocking discussions on the draft amendment. The party had risen to power on a platform of free speech and assembly, but was now behaving hypocritically by throwing up roadblocks to the bill's consideration by lawmakers, she said.
Billing themselves as the "Alliance for Amending the Assembly and Parade Law," protesters said their bill seeks to protect the people's constitutional right to peacefully protest wherever, whenever and however they like, without arbitrary interference from police.
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