The National Human Rights Commission (NHRCK) has recently requested the Legal Aid Office of the Korean Bar Association to provide legal relief for the bereaved family of a prisoner, who passed away at the Busan Detention Center. The Legal Aid Office of the Korean Bar Association has decided to comply with this request. The request was made on July 31, 2007, following a complaint submitted by the daughter of the prisoner.
The complainant, daughter of the deceased prisoner known as “Ch,” filed her complaint with the Commission against the head of the Busan Detention Center for withholding information regarding her father’s death. She stated, “My father, who was imprisoned at the Busan Detention Center, died suddenly on May 25, 2006. However, the Busan Detention Center, which argues that my father strangled himself to death, refused to present evidence—such as a rope that he used to hang himself—or to show his body to the bereaved family for several hours. To clear suspicions, a fact-finding investigation needs to be conducted.”
The Busan Detention Center stated that grade 7 and 8 corrections officers discovered that the complainant’s father had strangled himself after he was found absent at the 6:00am morning roll call. The Center held that the officers found the prisoner hanged from a water supply pipe in his bathroom with a 145-centimeter compress bandage wrapped around his neck. The officers allegedly removed the compress immediately, administered artificial respiration and rushed the prisoner to the emergency room by 6:20am. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was employed until 6:55am, and the prisoner was pronounced dead at 7:15am, according to the Center. The head of the Busan Detention Center also stated that he instructed corrections officers to monitor the victim closely on May 12, 2006, two weeks prior to his death, due to fears that he may attempt suicide. The prisoner was moved into a ward room with CCTV for better observation.
Based on investigation findings, the Commission concluded that the Busan Detention Center did place the complainant’s father under special management after designating him as a person likely to attempt suicide on May 12, 2006. However, although the prisoner had been subject to monitoring in a ward room with CCTV and had received medical treatment for diabetes and depression, the Center failed to ensure more thorough management and supervision of a person requiring special management.
With this, the Commission requested the Legal Aid Office of the Korean Bar Association to provide legal relief to the bereaved family to ensure an appropriate amount of compensation from the government in accordance with Article 47 of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea Act. The Legal Aid Office decided to comply with this request and designated Jong-Cheol Park, attorney-at-law, as the legal representative in charge of the litigation.
In the meantime, the Busan Detention Center announced that it has collected statements of explanation about the incident from the officers involved, and has reprimanded the officers with official warnings. The Center also states that it is taking corrective measures to hold the officers accountable for failure to ensure security and fulfill managerial duties properly, including failure to prevent accidents and failure to manage prisoners effectively through staff education and supervision.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea was established in 2001 to promote human rights education and defend those who have experienced discrimination, or have had a right violated, in Korea. The Commission offers counseling, full investigation and protection for citizens, along with educational initiatives for organizations.
