The campaign to defend left-wing, pro-DPRK political prisoner, Chan Han Choi is moving forward. On 29 September 2018, his supporters in Sydney held the first public protest action in his defence.
Chan Han Choi has been locked up in an Australian prison since last December. He is jailed because of his support for socialistic North Korea. He is accused of trying to help North Korea’s people by facilitating the sale of their produce abroad in violation of UN sanctions. Given the pro-capitalist bias of Australia’s legal system we wouldn’t be surprised if Chan Han Choi is simply being persecuted because he is an outspoken supporter of North Korea. Yet, even if the claims against him turn out to be true, he is no criminal from the working class standpoint. Quite the opposite! This would simply demonstrate that he was merely aiding people who were being ground down by the most severe sanctions ever imposed. That he was boldly standing by a socialistic state. Although there are some flawed policies and practices of the North Korean government, the fact remains that the North Korean masses have built a workers state founded on the overthrow of greedy landlords, bankers and factory bosses. In supporting this workers state, Chan Han Choi is also standing by the interests of the working class and oppressed of Australia and the entire world.
An avowed socialist who sympathises with Aboriginal people’s struggle against racist oppression, Chan Han Choi believes that there are no real, human rights in this country. Indeed, his own persecution is living proof of those views. The Australian regime has made it almost impossible for family and friends to visit him. Moreover, they are pushing to subject him to a closed trial with no public or media present.
The denial of basic rights to this political prisoner comes in the context of a restricting of the right to dissent in Australia. A NSW government law just came into effect that gives bureaucrats powers to ban protests on any state-owned land. Most importantly, nationwide anti-union laws have curtailed the right to strike and have led to legal proceedings against over a hundred trade unionists from construction workers’ unions.
Chan Han Choi’s imprisonment for allegedly helping North Korea to bypass sanctions focuses attention on how cruel these sanctions really are. The imperialist powers who demanded these sanctions want to use them to starve the North Korean masses into acquiescing to a pro-Western takeover and capitalist conquest of their country. Alongside calling for the dropping of charges against Chan Han Choi, all genuine socialists must demand the immediate lifting of all sanctions against North Korea. Let’s stand by working class interests by standing by the DPRK workers state and its brave supporter Chan Han Choi! Let’s at the same time oppose the criminalisation of leftist dissent in Australia!
Here is a link to a short but powerful message from Chan Han Choi that was played to the 29 September 2018 Sydney rally that called to free this socialist, pro-DPRK political prisoner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTlumqtaguo
Chan Han Choi’s message was made to those who came to support the protest rally and also to the many leftists and supporters of the working class around the world that have expressed their solidarity with him.
It was with much difficulty that Chan Han Choi was able to get out this statement from prison. One can hear the background noise at the prison during the message including what sounds like announcements and instructions being blurted out through the prison sound system by the guards.
The 29 September 2018 united-front demonstration that called to “Free Chan Han Choi” was addressed by speakers from the James Connolly Association, Trotskyist Platform, the Western Sydney Branch of the Communist Party of Australia and the Stalin Society of Australia. The protest was also endorsed by the Lebanese Communist Party. The rally was chaired by Trotskyist Platform chairwoman, Sarah Fitzenmeyer.
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There was a great deal of interest in the protest from passers by from the local community in Auburn – a highly multi-racial, working class suburb of Sydney.
This was the first public protest action in support of Chan Han Choi. So it was an important step. Now genuine anti-imperialists and supporters of working class interests need to work very hard to broaden and deepen support for the campaign. Further actions are being planned and hopefully, through hard work, support for the campaign, to win the dropping of all charges against this pro-DPRK political prisoner, will snowball.
Please read our earlier article for more detailed information on this issue and aspects around it:
https://www.trotskyistplatform.com/update-socialist-political-prisoner-in-australia-free-chan-choi/