 Rally held to support JCP flyer distributor About 220 citizens held a rally on January 22 in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo in protest against the arrest and indictment of a man who distributed flyers on Japanese Communist party activities in local assemblies. The indicted man stated, "While I was held in police custody, I was convinced that what I did was completely legal and my arrest was not justifiable. Even though my children would see me handcuffed and led around by rope, I will never change my mind." He called for further support in the struggle against the suppression. Ozawa Ryuichi, a professor of Constitutional Law at Shizuoka University, stated, "This is an outrageous infringement on the freedom of expression. Residents as sovereigns must be informed of assembly activities." Nakajima Hiroaki, Kyodo News Agency reporter, stated, "He was inserting flyers into mail boxes in front of each apartment that are accessible by anyone, including newspaper carriers. Why can it be recognized as trespassing on the apartment house complex? A Tokyo court ruled that a man who distributed flyers in an apartment house complex of Self-Defense Forces members was not guilty." Maeda Taku from the "Katsushika Association to Defend Freedom of Flyer Distribution" stressed, "This is not a matter of a particular political party alone." On behalf of the Japanese Communist Party, Koike Akira, House of Councilors member, encouraged the man and the participants. (end) |