國際特赦組織就香港中文大學將榮譽博士學位發給李光耀的聲明

國際特赦組織香港分會聯同中大學生對香港中文大學向李光耀頒發榮譽博士學位深表遺憾。新加坡社會今日面對眾多的人權問題，實源於李光耀出掌國家首相時的政策。而新加坡政府為他度身訂造資政之職，顯示他仍然要延續他的影響。

 我們關心新加坡什麼的人權問題？

 在今天的新加坡，政府濫用法律起訴國會反對派議員、控告他們誹謗，將他們排諸國會之外，更製造了自我審查的氣氛，從而嚴重地損害新加坡人民的表達自由。

 新加坡的年青男性都須服兵役。但那些因良心而反對服兵役的人（大部份是因為宗教原因）都被判坐牢。新加坡政府拒絕讓這些人士參與一些非軍事性的服務以代替服兵役。 

在新加坡因買賣毒品、謀殺、叛國和某類藏有軍火而被定罪，都必然被處決。不過事實卻並未證明這些死刑具備任何阻嚇作用。新加坡以人口比例計卻是執行死刑率最高的地方之一。另一方面，在新加坡，有三十種罪行的刑罰是笞刑---一種『殘忍、非人性和卑劣』的懲罰。這種做法，違反了世界人權宣言的第五條。

 新加坡至今又未簽署眾多保障人權的條約，包括公民及政治權利國際公約、禁止酷刑和其他殘忍、不人道或有辱人格的待遇或處罰公約。

 李光耀建立了一個嚴重地侵犯人權的制度，今日他仍然對這個制度具備影響力。香港中文大學竟然要將榮譽學位頒給他，國際特赦組織認為這種做法極度可恥。大學的功能是要提倡自由和開放的意見交流。而一所如香港中文大學具有國際崇高地位的大學要將榮譽頒發給一個剝奪國民表達自由的人，實在令人詫異。

 二千年十二月七日

 

Dear friends,

　

AI Hong Kong Section will be holding some actions against the Chinese

University awarding Lee Kuan Yew an honorary doctorate on 7 Dec 2000.

Please find the attached AI statement.

　

Joining together with Chinese University students, we are going to do two

things on that day.

　

From 8:30 am, we will distribute our statement (Chinese and English) to

students and staffs arriving the university at the University KCR station.

The exact location is the school bus stop at train station. If you can help

out this, please go there from 8:15 am but no later than 9:30 am. At the

same time, we will have a display board about human rights situation in

Singapore.

　

From 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, Mr. Mok Chiu-yu is organising a series of puppet

performances illustrating the human rights situation about Singapore at

the area outside the University Library ("Fung Fall Toy"). You are welcome

to be a audience.

　

Mr. Mok Chiu-yu and Ms Liz Whitelam are coordinating these actions. If you

would like to get more details, please contact them at mokchiuyu@hotmail.com or 9800 7169 (Mr. Mok) and kos58x@netvigator.com or 9269 6582, or the AIHK office at 2300 1250.

　

We need your support.

　

Regards,

Danny Lau

Administrator

AI Hong Kong

　

　

7 December 2000 

Amnesty International Hong Kong joins Chinese University students in expressing our disappointment at the decision by Chinese University HK to award an honorary doctor of law to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Many of the human rights problems faced today in Singapore are those inherited from his premiership. Indeed the new post of senior minister, created specially for him, shows that he has no intention of giving up his influence.   

What human rights problems are we talking about? 

  In Singapore today, the government misuses the law by bringing defamation suits against opposition members of parliament, which effectively keeps them out of parliament and creates a climate of self censorship. This seriously undermines the right of Singaporeans  to freedom of expression.   

Singapore has compulsory military service for young males. Those who refuse to serve in the army, often for religious reasons, "conscientious objectors", continue to be imprisoned. The authorities refuse to offer these people the alternative of civilian service. 

 The death penalty remains a mandatory sentence for drug trafficking, murder treason and certain firearm offences. Despite no evidence that these executions act in any way as a deterrent, Singapore continues to have one of the highest rates of executions in the world, in proportion to  its population. Caning, which is a "cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment" and thus contravenes Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) continues to be the mandatory sentence for some 30 crimes. 

Singapore has failed to sign up to many of the international treaties which protect human rights. These include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 

 Amnesty International finds it deplorable that Chinese University plans to award an honourary degree to a man who has been the architect of a system in which serious human rights abuses take place, and who still wields considerable influence in that system. One of the functions of a  university is to promote the free and open exchange of ideas. Amnesty International is surprised that a university of international standing finds it appropriate to honour a man responsible for curtailing freedom of expression in his own country.