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Alarming insensitivity to protecting human rights

Published: 03 Sep. 2024, 20:05

Ahn Chang-ho, former justice at the Constitutional Court, is famous for his consistent remarks based on his experience as a prosecutor and a devout Christian. But controversy has erupted over his past comments on human rights for minorities. Appearing at a confirmation hearing on Tuesday for his new role as head of the National Human Rights Commission, Ahn steadfastly adhered to his strong convictions on sensitive issues.

In a lecture in 2021, he said, “The evolutionary theory is 100 percent wrong.” In a written statement he submitted to the National Assembly, Ahn stressed the need for schools to teach Creationism as well. That’s not all. In a 2020 seminar, he said, “If the Antidiscrimination Act is implemented, it can be used as a tool to move toward a Communist revolution.” In a column, he also wrote, “If the bill comes into effect, primary, middle and high school authorities can’t refuse to hire homosexuals as teachers,” pointing to the possible spread of AIDS, anal cancer and hepatitis A.

Ahn has the freedom of thought in a democracy. But expressing such biased views as an individual and implementing policies as head of the commission based on such opinions are different matters.

One of the most important roles of the human rights commission is to probe various types of human rights violations and discriminative actions — and rescue the victims. The Human Rights Act strictly prohibits anyone from engaging in unfair treatments of others based on sex, age, religion or birthplace. Discrimination based on political or sexual orientation is also banned. Given such stark discrepancies, Ahn must invalidate the commission’s past achievements if he is appointed as the commissioner.

In Tuesday’s hearing, Ahn said, “Minority rights should be protected, but it must not infringe on majority rights.” Free democracies stipulate the reasons and procedures for restricting basic rights by laws. Nevertheless, human rights violations by the government frequently occur and some types of violations cannot be protected by the law. Most countries have human rights agencies to protect minorities in the blind spot. Korea is no different.

Could the nominee’s track record be compatible with his new role as head of the commission? The public security department of the prosecution, where he served, is infamous for human rights violations in the past. We cannot but wonder if the nominee can lead the human rights commission. President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to appoint him as the commissioner despite concerns about his past. The time has come for Ahn to ask himself if he really deserves to serve in this position.