An Announcement forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to forward the following announcement from the Truth Foundation, South Korea calling for nominations for their Human Rights Award in 2014.
The announcement and proposal form can be downloaded here.
For inquiries please contact Mr. Kim Jung-Min whose contact details are provided below.
Kim Jung-Min (Mr.)
Organizer
The Truth Foundation
5th Floor, 29-6 Changdukgoong-gil (Wonseo-dong)
Jongno-gu, Seoul
Republic of Korea
Tel: +82 2 741 6260
Fax: +82 2 742 6260
Email: truthfoundation@hanmail.net
Thank you.
Asian Human Rights Commission
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[ANNOUNCEMENT]
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE 4TH TRUTH FOUNDATION HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
About: The Truth Foundation Human Rights Award
To commemorate United Nations Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Truth Foundation awards the Truth Foundation Human Rights Award to an individual or organization from South Korea or abroad that has made a significant contribution to help and heal survivors of torture and state-sponsored violence, as well as to prevent such violence. Through the award, the Truth Foundation seeks to respect those who have endured unimaginable pain as a result of torture and state-sponsored violence and help end such violence.
Prior Recipients of the Truth Foundation Human Rights Award
The Award was established in 2011 and the first recipient was Mr. Seo Seung (1945~ , Professor of Ritsumeikan University). He was falsely accused in the ‘Korean Japanese Student Spying Case’ in 1971 and severely tortured by the South Korean security forces. After 19 years of imprisonment, Mr. Seo emerged as a tireless peace activist, especially devoting himself to the solidarity of East Asian peoples.
In 2012, the late Mr. Kim Keun Tae (1947~2011) became the second recipient of the Award. He was a pro-democracy activist against the military dictatorship during the 1980s, and was brutally tortured by the Chun Doo Hwan regime. He survived the torture and courageously revealed the reality of state-violence in Korea to the whole world. As a former member of the Korean National Assembly, he devoted himself to improving the human rights situation in Korea. Mr. Kim died in 2011 after battling illness due to the lingering aftereffects of torture.
The following year, the award went to Mr. Hong Sung Woo (1938~ ), a dedicated human rights lawyer. He bravely spoke up on behalf of political prisoners, torture victims and student activists during the military regimes in South Korea. Because of his activities, he was himself twice imprisoned by the military regime. Mr. Hong laid the cornerstone for the foundation of MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society, which has worked tirelessly for the protection of human rights in Korea. He has also kept vast records of human rights court cases in South Korea, providing valuable material for the historical preservation of the struggle for human rights in Korea.
The 4th Truth Foundation Human Rights Award Schedule
Nominations for the 4th Truth Foundation Human Rights Award will be accepted from February 10 to April 30, 2014. The Selection Committee for the Truth Foundation Human Rights Award will review the nominations by May 15, 2014. The recipient of the award will be announced on May 25 and the award will be presented on June 26, 2014 at the commemorative ceremony on United Nations Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
Qualifications for Nomination
- A survivor of torture or state-sponsored violence who has contributed to the defense of human dignity;
- An individual or organization that has worked for the prevention of torture and state-sponsored violence, providing assistance and healing to survivors.
Procedure for Nominations
- Nominations are limited to one nominee per recommender (organization).
- Fill out the attached nomination form in detail and submit it together with supporting materials.
- Submitted materials will not be returned.
- The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2014 and mailed submissions that are post-marked up to the date of the deadline will be valid.
- The Truth Foundation, if it deems necessary, may ask for additional materials regarding the candidate’s work.
- Members of the Selection Committee may submit nominations, but such a member may not participate in the review of the candidate for whom the member has submitted a nomination.
Composition of the Selection Committee
- The Selection Committee will be composed of 4 individuals from South Korea or abroad who have contributed to the prevention of torture and state-sponsored violence and the assistance and healing of survivors, and 3 Executive Directors of the Truth Foundation.
- The composition of the Selection Committee will be disclosed when the award recipient is announced.
Selection Policy for the 4th Truth Foundation Human Rights Award
- The award recipient will be an individual or a single group/organization.
- The Selection Committee will only disclose the total number of nominees and will not disclose the identity of the nominees or details of the nominations.
Award Details
- The award recipient will be presented with prize money, a medal and an award certificate.
- The award recipient will qualify to be a Selection Committee member for the following year’s Truth Foundation Human Rights Award.
Schedule (2014)
February 10: Announcement of call for nominations
April 30: Deadline for nominations
May 1 – 15: Review of candidates and selection of award recipient
May 25: Announcement of recipient of the 4th Truth Foundation Human Rights Award
June 26: Award ceremony
Inquiries
The Truth Foundation, Kim Jung-Min (Organizer) truthfoundation@hanmail.net
Tel.: 02-741-6260; Fax: 02-742-6260; 5th Floor, 29-6 Changdukgoong-gil (Wonseo-dong), Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea
About the Truth Foundation
The Truth Foundation (www.truthfoundation.or.kr) was established in 2009 by ordinary South Koreans who had been tortured and imprisoned under fabricated charges of spying for communist North Korea, but whose convictions were later overturned. The reparations they received from the South Korean government became the seed money for the Foundation. In addition to activities commemorating the United Nations Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Foundation is engaged in the following activities:
– Supporting the rehabilitation and treatment of torture survivors and their family members
– Helping torture survivors wrongfully convicted under fabricated spying charges to obtain justice
– Preventing the use of torture by monitoring compliance with treaties against torture
– Promoting respect for human rights and raising public awareness about torture through education and advocacy
– Working together with human rights organizations in South Korea and abroad to support torture survivors in Asia
