SEOUL– Human rights activists on Thursday accused the government of violating citizens’ right of assembly by restricting rallies excessively and often arbitrarily during the coronavirus pandemic.
Authorities have banned protests and rallies with certain numbers of people under social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 since early last year.
A task force of civic groups formed to monitor public power said 11.06 percent of assemblies were banned in Seoul last year, citing data from the National Police Agency.
The rate compares to 0.002 percent and 0.003 percent in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Of a total of 34,944 rallies reported to authorities in 2020, 3,865 were disallowed, the team said.
They criticized the government for applying much stricter social distancing rules to protest rallies than other gatherings.
They also claimed protest bans were not adjusted in accordance with changes in the number of infections. For example, COVID-19 cases in Seoul began to surge in August 2020, but the number of prohibited assemblies began to increase in February 2020.
They took issue with the infectious disease control act that gives heads of local governments the power to restrict freedom of assembly and demonstration during an epidemic.
“There are no clear standards regarding how much and how long assemblies can be banned, so an indefinite prohibition is made possible,” a member of the group said.
“The judiciary and legislature should correct the arbitrary exercise of administrative powers but they do not play such a role.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency