South Korean political activists Park Rae-gun and Kim Hye-jin were arrested on 14 July in a continuing crackdown on free speech and democratic rights by the right wing Park Geun-hye government.

Park and Kim were arrested for organising “illegal” anti-government protests in April to mark the first anniversary of the sinking of the Sewol ferry, which claimed the lives of 304 people, nearly all of whom were high school students.

Both activists are members of the April 16 Alliance, which is made up of victims’ families, individual supporters and more than 800 South Korean NGOs.

The protests, organised by the April 16 Alliance over the weekend of 16-18 April, attracted more than 10,000 people to demand the government establish an independent investigation into the sinking of the ferry and the subsequent rescue operations.

Protesters are demanding an investigation into the role of the state and the impact of the neoliberal policies pursued by both Park and her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, which deregulated the shipping industry and resulted in the Sewol rescue operation being handed over to private salvage firms.

In response, the Park administration mobilised more than 13,000 police to attack the protest with water cannons and tear gas.

More than 100 people were injured by the police violence. Approximately 100 human rights defenders and political activists were arrested. Police carried out further arrests against Sewol protesters on 1 and 2 May, resulting in another 42 arrests.

On 15 July, a South Korean court ordered Kim’s release. However, Park, along with another six activists, remains in jail. Park, one South Korea’s best known human rights and labour activists, previously has been arrested on three occasions for his political activism.

The government has sought to crack down on political opponents and limit freedom of speech and assembly. Park Geun-hye is the daughter of former military dictator Park Chung-hee, who seized power in 1972 and declared himself president for life. She stands accused of attempting to reintroduce some of the worst aspects of her father’s regime.

The arrest of Park Rae-gun and the continuing crackdown on dissent and freedom of speech have been condemned by human rights organisations in South Korea and south Asia.

In a statement issued on 21 July, Forum-Asia, a Bangkok-based regional human rights group, condemned the crackdown: “The government must unconditionally drop all charges against the protesters and set up an independent investigation into the Sewol Ferry disaster as a matter of priority at the soonest possible time”.