Press Release

Legislative Yuan

November 2, 2022

President You Si-kun meets with Human Rights Foundation President Céline Assaf-Boustani

You Si-kun: Human rights are a common language; we will defend democracy and human rights along with the international community

Accompanied by Legislators Freddy Lim, Fan Yun, Chen I-hsin, and Wu Hsin-ying; Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Consultant Chou Ya-shu; and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of NGO International Affairs Director General Constance H. Wang, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun met with Human Rights Foundation President Céline Assaf-Boustani, International Legal Associate Michelle Gulino; Senior Strategy and Research Associate Jenny Wang; Senior Development Officer Sherry Jeng; Hong Kong activist Nathan Law; Thailand’s Future Forward Party Chairman Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit; Gambian activist Fatou Jallow; and Burmese activist Wai Hnin Pwint Thon.

President You first of all thanked the delegation for visiting Taiwan. He was delighted to have Taiwan host its third Oslo Freedom Forum and have human rights advocates from all over the world united in the fight against totalitarianism and dictatorship in defense of freedom and democracy. He believed that this was great inspiration for forum participants.

President You stated that the global democracy landscape has withered in recent years. Freedom and democracy confront daunting challenges. Taiwan experienced a bumpy road in its own pursuit of democracy and freedom. Therefore, it is empathetic to all manner of human rights issues around the world. The Legislative Yuan often takes action to show its concern. For example, on May 29, 2020, party caucuses of both the ruling and opposition parties passed a joint statement severely condemning China for passing the Hong Kong National Security Act and so violating its commitment of having Hong Kong ruled by its own people. On November 24 of the same year, a cross-party human rights promotion association was established by the Legislative Yuan focused on the human rights of people in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet. On April 9, 2021, a resolution was passed with cross-party support that urged the government of Myanmar not to launch a military attack on peaceful demonstrators. On February 24, 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a cross-party joint statement was issued on March 1 strongly urging the Russian government to immediately cease its military aggression.

President You stated that Taiwan is not a United Nations member, but that five out of nine United Nations human rights covenants have become domestic law via the formulation of implementation regulations that allow our nation to abide by these pacts. Taiwan’s achievements in democracy and freedom are widely recognized by the international community. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) issued the 2021 Democracy Index in February this year. In it, Taiwan ranked first in Asia. In the World Freedom Report issued by Freedom House, Taiwan ranked second in Asia. Unlike Taiwan, China does not have any concept of human rights. During the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October, Chinese leader Xi Jin-ping removed term limits on his presidency, seemingly assuming a life term and demonstrating autocracy. This caused grave concern that an authoritarian China could launch a war irrationally. President You reiterated that human rights are our common language and a universal value that we pursue. Although Taiwan faces unprecedented challenges, we will firmly stand with other nations to defend democracy and human rights. He then shared that he hoped to see closer cooperation among the international democratic alliance on global peace and development.

President Céline Assaf-Boustani shared her delight at visiting Taiwan. The Human Rights Foundation, she said, recognizes Taiwan’s contributions in freedom and democracy and also supports the brave people of Taiwan. The major task of the foundation is to promote human rights in closed countries and to support human rights advocates in sharing their experiences and furthering cooperation. The Oslo Freedom Forum to be held in Taiwan the next day would, she said, feature more than 100 participants and be livestreamed. This opportunity will connect everyone in the democratic community and connect Taiwan to the world. As a result, the people of Taiwan will better understand that they are not alone in fighting autocracy.

Legislator Fan Yun welcomed the delegation from the Human Rights Foundation. She stated that she and her party have devoted themselves to promoting women’s rights and have focused on human rights for a long time, and had exchanged views with many countries on these issues. The Human Rights Foundation supports democracy advocates bold enough to fight authoritarian regimes and promote global human rights protection. She wanted to take this opportunity to express her respect to the Human Rights Foundation.

On behalf of KMT Party Chairman Eric Chu, Legislator Chen Yi-hsin conveyed greetings to the visiting delegation. He stated that he visited New York in June this year but had not known the delegates then. In the future, he hoped to visit the US again to deepen exchanges, noting that he would continue to work for universal values and in defense of human rights.

Legislator Freddy Lim said he was delighted to meet with the delegates. He mentioned that democracy had been under assault in recent years and greatly respected the work of the delegates to further freedom and democracy. He stressed that many international alliances support Taiwan and expressed gratitude to the delegation for supporting Taiwan and attending the forum to share their experiences.  

On behalf of the Taiwan People’s Party, Legislator Wu Hsin-ying welcomed the delegation to Taiwan. She stated that there were many people whose work on related issues was worth emulating. She shared many of her experiences promoting women’s rights and feminism. In the future, she vowed to continue to promote global projects that help women around the world.

Participants closed the meeting by exchanging views on issues concerning democratic systems, women’s rights, and human rights. The meeting concluded at 17:10 after the presentation of tokens of friendship.

A translation of President You’s remarks follows:

President Céline Assaf-Boustani; distinguished guests; legislators; colleagues; ladies and gentlemen: Good morning!

It is an honor to meet with speakers and human rights advocates attending the Oslo Freedom Forum of the Human Rights Foundation today. On behalf of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, I extend a heartfelt welcome to all of you.

This year marks the third time Taiwan is hosting the Oslo Freedom Forum. All of you are here to share your personal experiences fighting against authoritarianism and dictatorships. I am convinced that you will inspire all who watch the forum’s proceedings. 

Democracy around the globe is in retreat of late. Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Myanmar, and Afghanistan face daunting challenges as concerns freedom and democracy. In a worrisome trend, nearly half of the world’s population lives under authoritarian regimes. Taiwan was colonized for centuries and has experienced hardship on the road to democracy and freedom. We care greatly for international democracy and human rights development. The Legislative Yuan often take action to show its concern on human rights issues around the world.

For example, on May 29, 2020, the party caucuses of both the ruling and opposition parties passed a joint statement severely condemning China for passing the Hong Kong National Security Act and so violating its commitment of having Hong Kong ruled by its own people. On November 24 of the same year, a cross-party human rights promotion association was established by the Legislative Yuan focused on the human rights of people in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet. On April 9, 2021, a resolution was passed with cross-party support that urged the government of Myanmar not to launch a military attack on peaceful demonstrators. On February 24, 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a cross-party joint statement was issued on March 1 strongly urging the Russian government to immediately cease its military aggression.

Taiwan is not a United Nations member, but that five out of nine United Nations human rights covenants have become domestic law via the formulation of implementation regulations that allow our nation to abide by these pacts. Taiwan’s achievements in democracy and freedom are widely recognized by the international community. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) issued the 2021 Democracy Index in February this year. In it, Taiwan ranked first in Asia. In the World Freedom Report issued by Freedom House, Taiwan ranked second in Asia.

We are concerned about China’s democratic development and hope to see China’s democratization at an early date. However, China’s traditional political thinking from imperial dynasties does not contain any provision for human rights. During the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October, Xi Jin-ping’s dictatorial arranging of the Politburo Standing Committee has led to a concentration of power. Xi Jin-ping removed term limits on his presidency, seemingly assuming a life term and demonstrating a tendency to autocracy. This caused a grave concern that an authoritarian China could launch a war irrationally. On October 16, the kidnapping incident at China’s consulate in the UK’s Manchester showed China’s violent nature and disregard human rights.

I want to stress that human rights are our common language and a universal value that we pursue. Although Taiwan faces daunting challenges, we for firmly stand with other nations to defend democracy and human rights. I hope to see closer cooperation among the international democratic alliance on global peace and development.

I wish this forum great success, all of you a safe trip home, and continued peace and prosperity to all our nations.