By Yang Kuo-wen and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The International Association of Judges (IAJ) has pledged to uphold members’ unconditional right to participate in annual meetings, saying it deeply regrets that Taiwan’s representatives were excluded from this year’s gathering in Azerbaijan, the Judges Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan) (JAROC) said today.
Six members of the JAROC were unable to attend the 67th IAJ Annual Meeting in Azerbaijan earlier this month after being denied entry permits.
The Azerbaijan Union of Judges had repeatedly assured the IAJ that it would assist members without prior visas to obtain visas on arrival, saying it had received approval from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Taiwanese association said.
Five of the judges canceled their trip after they did not receive formal invitation letters or entry permits from the Azerbaijani government.
The delegation’s leader, High Court judge Lin Yi-lun (林伊倫), flew to Azerbaijan, but was denied entry at the border and forced to return.
The Azerbaijani government’s exclusion of Taiwan’s judges was reportedly due to pressure from China to uphold the “one China” principle.
The JAROC promptly called on the IAJ to establish a clear, public and transparent mechanism to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
The Judicial Yuan also expressed deep concern over the unfair treatment of JAROC’s representative judges, and said it would continue to support civil organizations in promoting Taiwan’s freedom and rule of law on the global stage.
The JAROC today said that it received a letter from the IAJ expressing regret over the exclusion, which it said hurt the entire organization and its annual meeting.
The actions of the Azerbaijani State Migration Service violated the IAJ’s spirit of international cooperation and inclusiveness, it said.
It pledged to uphold the unconditional right of members to participate, and to choose the meeting location carefully in the future to ensure that no judge is excluded due to government policies.
Taiwan’s association thanked the IAJ for its support and promises, saying it looks forward to every member being able to participate in annual meetings in the future.
