(Rush Translation from Japanese original) ***For immediate release*** September 29, 2011 Shirouto-no-Ran 9.

11 Shinjuku No Nukes !!!!! Demonstration Relief Campaign

The 12 people unjustly arrested in the 9.11 Shinjuku No Nukes !!!!! demonstration were all released as of September 22
This past September 11 marked 6 months since the earthquake disaster which has devastated Japan. On that day Shiroto-no-Ran (Amateur Riot) held a mass anti-nuclear demonstration in Shinjuku, Tokyo, which was attended by approximately 10,000 citizens. However we were met with excessive security and an abnormal amount of stringency by the police, who arrested the unprecedented number of 12 people. 7 were released by September 14 (3 days after the demonstration), while the rest were freed by the 22. Living in a democracy, can we really allow the suppression of rights of these 10,000, mostly young people who came together simply to express their opposition to nuclear power, a position held by over 70% of the population? Please let the world know about this human rights problem in Japan Background: Chaos caused by excessive security Amateur Riot filed a route fully compliant with laws and regulations, but the route was changed utterly by the police on September 9 (Friday), merely two days before the demonstration. In addition, the police not only began intimidating the protest participants from before it even started, but they sandwiched the demonstration itself from both the sidewalk and street sides. The level of security was truly inhuman: scores of participants have reported that they were continually physically shoved by the police and told to walk faster, were forbidden both from leaving in the middle to buy water (on such a hot day) or use the toilet as well as prevented from entering the demonstration in the middle. In the area of the sound cars a massive number of police officers actually forcibly entered the demonstration itself, positioning themselves between the cars and the demonstrators, creating confusion where none had existed to begin with. In this chaos created by the police, arrests were made. Again at the end of the demonstration, in front of Studio Alta at Shinjuku Station, even though we had the proper permits to broadcast music from trucks (gaisensha), the

police prevented people from standing and listening. The unprecedented number of 12 arrests was unquestionably a result of excessive security on the part of the police. Some of those arrested were even injured or bruised by the police officers when they were arrested. A Right Guaranteed by the Constitution A citizens right to express their opinion in the form of a demonstration is a freedom recognized in countries the world over. It is to be expected that the people living in Japan feel the need to come together and raise their voices together in this post-3.11, post-nuclear meltdown society. Unjust Arrests, Home Raids Merely for affirming their opposition to nuclear power, 12 ordinary people participating in the protest were arrested on the spot under suspicion of obstructing officers in the line of duty or the violation of public safety ordinances, only for 6 to be released 2 days later on Sept. 13, 1 on Sept. 14, and the rest on Sept. 22. These so-called suspicions are nothing more than unsubstantiated claims by the police used to justify an arbitrary use of their power. And even though they were all allegedly caught in the act, in many cases their houses were raided, a completely unnecessary invasion of their privacy. Press Issues In some cases, certain media organizations published information and the situation of those arrested exactly as they received the said information from the police. Can we ignore the obvious human rights problems involved with a press functioning in such a manner? Details regarding specific arrests, damages caused in custody and human rights abuses Though circumstances of the arrest vary, they were all carried out equally unjustly. For instance, some people got arrested for violating The Public Safety and Security Ordinance of Tokyo (see below) Or, there was a man arrested in the middle of the confusion when he went to protest against the members of a far-right fascist organization. This group was staging their own protest on the same day, standing and cursing and yelling at the participants in the anti-nuclear demonstration, calling them criminals as they marched by.A woman, who stood close to him, was also held and, removed from the crowd by two female

police officers, and she reports that in the location she was taken by the side of the road, she was subsequently kicked in abdomen by someone who seemed to be one of the members of the above organization. She appealed to the two female officers, who obviously saw it happen, and they ignored her. Those unjustly arrested for doing nothing illegal are now suffering physical and mental damage, as well as damage to their image in society as a result of their arrest and custody. What criticism will we get from the international community when they learn that Japanese police took a dozen citizens into custody without any legal evidence and forcibly violated their human rights? These facts are clear evidence of how we overlook the concept of human rights, and of the crisis of democracy in Japan. People unjustly arrested at the previous anti-nuclear demonstrations on May 7 and Aug 6, have since suffered both mental and physical damages, and have suffered difficulties as a result of social restrictions. Here too human rights abuses took place under police custody. (Japanese links): http://57q.tumblr.com/post/5892732191 http://d.hatena.ne.jp/nonukyuen/20110816/1313498416 However, the facts of their suffering remain known only to a small circle of the victims families and friends, thus leaving them in agony everyday. Questionable Custody (statement of one unjustly arrested) The absurdity of the situation didnt stop on the street where so many were unjustly arrested, but continued at the police station where they were held. Shin Futatsugi reports: I complained after I was arrested to the officer who questioned me, It wasnt fair that the police acted violently like that at the demonstration. Anyone could tell you were provoking us! There must be a much more sober way to do crowd control than that. He said yes, we went too far actually, and admitted that their security during the demonstration was not performed correctly. I said, the participants and the passers-by who happened to be in Shinjuku sympathized with our message and spontaneously expressed their opposition to nuclear power. We never deliberately provoked them. It makes no sense that I had to be arrested for causing unnecessary disorder onto the street, violating the Public Safety and Security Ordinance Then a man who looked like the detectives superior said, well, yes, thats giving us a headache as well., nearly admitting that they had arrested me without sufficient reason. On the day of the protest, I had been instructed by several detectives to move people out in the street back into the

march, and so I passed on the order, asking for it to be announced from the microphone. But in fact a excessive number of policemen pressured the participants from all sides, causing them to slip away and take refuge on the pavement. My behavior towards the koan (public safety) police was sincere although they all spoke to me in a very rude manner. And the koan tried to control the demonstration without working well in tandem with the cops in charge of traffic control. Looking back at how little interest they even seemed to have in questioning me, I suspect there must have been some kind of arbitrary, political intent held by a certain group of people within the police behind their extraordinarily intense response towards the 9.11 No-Nukes!!!!! Demonstration.

Summary We take very seriously the extraordinary damage caused by the earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and in order to find the solution to this fundamental problem, we are demanding the cessation of the use of nuclear power. As ordinary citizens, all we wanted was to send out our message via a legal act of demonstration. Now we would like to record, and express to the greatest number of people possible, that the excessive force with which the police met this legal act has generated new victims. We strongly hope that by making these facts clear and known, we can stop this kind of abuse of power. ***** Amateur Riot organized the recent demonstrations on April 10 in Koenji (15,000 participants), May 7 in Shibuya (20,000), June 11 in Shinjuku (20,000), and August 6 (10,000) in Ginza. We demand the following from the Japanese Government. 1. Suspension of the operation of all nuclear power plants presently online. 2. Cessation of the re-starting of any nuclear power plants currently offline for inspection or other reasons. 3. Cessation of any further nuclear power plant construction. 4. A full revocation of the 20 mSv/year exposure level for children. 5. A shift in governmental policy from nuclear power to natural energy. http://911shinjuku.tumblr.com/ Contact email: 911nonukyuen@gmail.com