Rhodes: "Japanese authorities in collusion with criminals"

At the recent European Leadership Conference and Fact Finding Tour to Japan, international human rights expert Aaron Rhodes discussed human rights abuses taking place in Japan.

Mr. Rhodes, the former Executive Director for the International Helsinki Federation of Human Rights (closed after filing for bankruptcy), said the forced conversions and abductions of members of the Unification Church in Japan are in direct violation of United Nations human rights agreements.

"This is a nightmare," Mr. Rhodes said of the Japanese government, "because public authorities are in collusion with criminals."

Mr. Rhodes described the forced deprogramming of Unification Church members in Japan a violation of the most basic human rights, saying victims are coerced by physical force to change and present a confession.

Members of the audience were encouraged to contact the Asian Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) to pressure the Japanese government and embarrass them for their inactivity on abductions and forced conversions.

In 2009, the University of Chicago awarded Mr. Rhodes the prestigious Public Service Award. He is regarded as one of the world's leading human rights activists and is respected for his work on challenges in the Balkans, in Chechnya, and in Central Asia.

Mr. Rhodes rebuked Japan's judicial system for not acting independently but with prejudice against religious minorities – a grave indictment against a liberal democracy with an otherwise good record on human rights.