2016年12月1日 06:01
警察の捜査は基地反対運動に対する弾圧である。沖縄平和運動センターなどの強制捜査と山城博治同センター議長の再々逮捕、長期の拘束は行き過ぎだ。警察法がうたう「公平中正」の理念に反すると指摘せざるを得ない。
県警は基地反対、平和運動の拠点である同センターからパソコンなどを押収した。運動に関わる人々の情報が公権力に渡り、基地反対運動を委縮させる。捜索、押収の必要性に疑問がある。山城議長の長期拘束も同様だ。基地建設の国策に警察が加担する－そのような疑いを県民に抱かせた。県警への県民の信頼が大きく揺らいだ。
捜査の必要性に疑問
警察の捜査には疑問点が多い。１月の事案に対する強制捜査と議長らの逮捕が、なぜ１年近くもたったこの時期なのか。
辺野古新基地建設の反対運動を抑制する印象操作を疑う声は多い。建設を容認する県議会野党の自民党県議は「高江から辺野古に主戦場が移る。（辺野古の）工事が再開すれば反対運動も再燃する。警察活動は必要」とタイミングを見計らった捜査と見ている。
米軍基地ゲート前の路上にブロックを積み上げた威力業務妨害容疑が捜査の目的とされる。警察の目前で公然となされ、行為と関係者を特定する証拠は明白だ。その立件のため議長らを逮捕し、平和運動センターの資料を押収する必要性があるのか。
県警は「被疑者特定と裏付け捜査に時間がかかった」と説明するが、大量の資料押収への疑念は拭えない。
ブロック積み上げの立件だけでなく、辺野古新基地、北部訓練場ヘリパッド建設の反対運動、関係者の広範な情報収集が目的ではないか。今後の反対運動への対応も視野に入れた予備的な警察活動との疑念が増幅する。
山城議長の４０日以上に及ぶ拘束も問題だ。器物損壊など軽微な容疑に対する長期拘束は捜査の必要性、人権の問題と同時に、基地反対運動への影響が大きい。
多くの弁護士、大学教授ら法律専門家が強制捜査の必要性の乏しさを指摘し「表現の自由、政治活動の抑圧」と見ている。反対運動の委縮を狙った強制捜査と疑われている。基地建設を強行する政府と反対する県民の間に立ち「公平中正」に職務を執行すべき警察活動のバランスを失している。そのように見られているのである。
一方、高江ヘリパッド工事の取材で新聞記者２人が機動隊に拘束、排除された件は隊員の処罰や謝罪もなく不問に付されている。その点でも警察の対応はバランスを欠いている。
基地反対は正当な権利
政府と警察の一体化を危惧する。昨年の警察法改正で警察の任務に「内閣の重要政策を助ける」ことが付加された。辺野古新基地建設などが「内閣の重要政策」に位置付けられてはいないか。少なくともその先駆けである疑いを、ヘリパッド抗議の徹底排除を含めた一連の警察活動は抱かせる。
弁護士らは警察の対応を「米軍施政下よりひどい」と批判している。政府の国策を警察が補完する「警察国家」の危険な兆候と懸念する識者もいる。
政府は辺野古新基地建設、沖縄への基地集中政策を「普天間の危険除去」や「沖縄の地理的優位性」など安全保障上の理由で正当化している。しかし「国益」の名の下に沖縄に基地過重負担を押し付け続けているのが実態である。県民は加害者ではなく被害者だ。
被害を受ける県民が基地過重負担の軽減、新基地・施設に反対を訴えるのは正当な権利だ。民主主義、地方自治に基づく正当な権利主張、基地反対の行動を政府と警察が一体となって弾圧することは許されない。
米軍基地撤去は県民にとって長く苦しい闘いだ。しかし正義は沖縄側にある。政府や警察の不当な対応に屈することなく、粘り強く闘い続けるしかない。
英文へ→Editorial: Police investigating the Peace Center and supporting the base construction — unjust oppressions are unacceptable
＜社説＞平和センター捜索 不当な弾圧許されぬ 基地建設に警察が加担
2016年12月1日 06:01
Editorial: Police investigating the Peace Center and supporting the base construction — unjust oppressions are unacceptable
December 1, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
The police’s investigation is a form of oppression against the anti-base protests. Conducting a compulsory investigation of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center and arresting its Chairman Hiroji Yamashiro for the third time and detaining him for a long period is going too far. One cannot help but feel that this goes against the philosophy of “fairness and impartiality” that the Police Law insists on.
The Okinawa prefectural police confiscated computers etc. from the Peace Movement Center, which is the hub for military base protests and peace movements. Information regarding those involved in the movements was handed over to the public authorities, effectively shrinking the anti-base protests. The need to investigate and confiscate is questionable. The need to detain Chairman Yamashiro for a long period is similarly questionable. All of this is making Okinawans wonder if the police are supporting the national policy to construct a base. This has greatly wavered Okinawans’ trust in the Okinawan police.
Doubt in the need to investigate
There are many doubts regarding the police’s investigation. For example, why are the compulsory investigation of the case in January and the arrest of chairman and others only happening now, close to a year after the fact?
Many suspect impression management is at play to suppress protests against the new Henoko base construction. The ruling party of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, namely the Liberal Democratic Party, approves of the construction. A spokesman from the party says, “The main battlefield will move from Takae to Henoko. If the construction (in Henoko) resumes, then the protests will rekindle as well. Policing is and will be needed.” It seems that they waited for the right moment to conduct the investigation.
Supposedly, the aim of the investigation was rooted in the suspicion of destruction of business by force via stacking blocks on the road in front of the gate to the U.S. military base. It was done openly in front of the police, evidently making it easy to determine what had happened and who was responsible for it. But is there really a need to arrest the chairman etc. and confiscate documents from the Peace Movement Center to build a case for that?
A spokesman of the Okinawan police claims that “It took some time to determine the suspects and for a corroborative investigation.” But this still does not rid of the suspicion toward confiscating massive amounts of documents.
Perhaps their real aim was not only to build a case against stacking those blocks, but also to collect information on a wide range of topics, such as the protests against the new Henoko base, construction of the helipads in the Northern Training Area, and on those involved. Doubt increases as people question the preparatory police activities that seem to also include managing future protests in its scope.
Detaining Chairman Yamashiro for more than 40 days is also a problem. Once again, there is doubt in the need for an investigation that involves detaining a person for a long period over petty suspicions, such as destruction of property etc. It also is a human rights issue. At the same time, it greatly affects the anti-base protests.
Many legal experts, such as lawyers and college professors, have pointed out the lack of need for a compulsory investigation. They say that it suppresses freedom of expression and political activity. People suspect that the real aim of the compulsory investigation was to shrink the protests. The police are supposed to stand between the government that tries to push through with the construction of the base and Okinawans who oppose it. They are supposed to conduct police activities with “fairness and impartiality” However, the police are no longer able to strike a balance between the two parties; this is how they are being seen.
Meanwhile, two newspaper journalists covering the Takae helipad construction were detained and removed from the scene by riot police. The policemen involved in this incident have neither been punished, nor have they apologized. Even in this regard, the police have lost their balance.
Opposing the bases is a legitimate right
There is fear over the government and the police becoming one entity. In last year’s Police Law amendments, “Helping with the Cabinet’s important policies” was added to the police’s duty. It makes one wonder if the construction of the new Henoko base is being categorized as one of “the cabinet’s important policies.” At the very least, a series of police activities that include the thorough removal of helipad protestors makes one feel that preceding doubt.
Lawyers are criticizing the polices’ response, calling it worse than when Okinawa was under U.S. military control. Some experts are even concerned about the dangerous signs of a “police state” in which the police support the government’s national policies.
The government justifies the construction of the new Henoko base and policies to focus bases in Okinawa with security reasons, such as “removing hazards from Futenma” and “Okinawa’s geological advantage.” But the reality is that the government continues to push for Okinawa to bear the heavy burden of hosting the bases under the pretense of “national interest.” Okinawans are not the attackers, but the victims.
For Okinawans, who suffer damages, to push for reducing the heavy burden of hosting bases and to oppose a new base and facilities is a legitimate right. For the government and police as one entity to oppress asserting one’s legitimate right based on democracy and local autonomy and acts to protest against the base is unacceptable.
Removing the U.S. military bases is a long and hard battle for Okinawans. But justice is on Okinawa’s side. People have no choice but to persevere and continue to fight without bowing down to the unjust actions of the government and police.
(English translation by T&TC and Chelsea Ashimine)
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