SEOUL– A disability rights advocacy group said Wednesday it will file a petition with U.N. special rapporteurs, claiming police used force to stop activists when they tried to board subway trains last month as part of a protest demanding greater rights of the disabled.
The Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) has been staging subway-riding protests at major stations in Seoul, demanding an increased government budget to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
Wheelchair-bound activists have repeatedly boarded and disembarked trains, disrupting metro services during the morning rush hour.
SADD claimed that police and Seoul Metro, the operator of subway services in Seoul, stopped activists whey they tried to board subway trains at Samgakji Station in early January as part of the group’s campaign.
It claimed police and Seoul Metro intentionally disrupted the activists’ protest speeches by drowning them out with warnings broadcasted through loudspeakers.
SADD said it will submit petitions online to U.N. special rapporteurs on the rights of persons with disabilities, and the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and for human rights defenders to enlist their help.
Once the petitions are filed, the U.N. officials will review them in accordance with relevant proceedings. If the case is judged serious, they will check with the South Korea government and issue an official letter asking it to comply with international human rights standards, a lawyer said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency