S. Korean NGOs appeal to U.N. over protests against U.S. beef

SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's non-governmental organizations sent a letter to the United Nations on Friday refuting the government's denial of alleged human rights violations against citizens who protested against U.S. beef imports last summer.

The U.N. Human Rights Council sent an inquiry to the Seoul government in July
after the NGOs called for a U.N. investigation into whether police had used
excessive force to put down candlelight rallies that rocked the country for
months.
The government responded in October, saying the NGO's appeal "contains
information that is false or not confirmed" and is "based on a biased view."
"The point is whether the law enforcement actions were inevitable and an adequate
response, or an abuse of public power," said the joint statement submitted by
scores of liberal NGOs including Lawyers for a Democratic Society and People's
Solidarity for Participatory Democracy.
They noted more than 1,500 people were arrested, if only briefly, and some faced
fines of more than 1.5 million won (US$997) for illegally occupying roads or
engaging in violence.
The government outlawed the candlelight protests according to laws barring
demonstrations after sunset.
Amnesty International in July criticized Seoul for using excessive force against
the beef protesters and called their candlelight rallies "an impressive tribute"
to South Korean democracy.
The Seoul government's decision in April to resume U.S. beef imports prompted
tens of thousands of citizens to protest almost every night for four months. Many
Koreans feared that the imports would expose the country to mad cow disease, and
were furious that President Lee Myung-bak had gone ahead without first gauging
public opinion.
The massive protests subsided in August, weeks after the deal took effect with
additional safeguards.