Human Rights Commission Accepts Jeon Gwang-hoon's Complaint of Unjust Handcuffing by Police... Recommends Rule Revision
National Human Rights Commission of Korea building. Photo by Human Rights Commission
View original image[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Human Rights Commission partially accepted a complaint filed by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church, who led the 2019 Gwanghwamun rally, against the police for handcuffing him during escort despite no risk of escape.
On the 10th, the Human Rights Commission announced that it recognized part of Pastor Jeon's complaint that the police unnecessarily used handcuffs to escort a suspect with no risk of escape to the police station as a human rights violation, and recommended the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency revise related regulations.
Pastor Jeon was investigated by the police on charges of leading illegal activities at the Gwanghwamun rally on October 3, 2019, and appeared at the pre-trial detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Seoul Central District Court on January 2, 2020.
Pastor Jeon's side raised issues that despite no risk of escape, the police suddenly handcuffed him during the escort after the hearing and exposed him to the media. At the time, the police rebutted that according to internal guidelines, suspects must be handcuffed during detention and escort, and that they were following the rules.
Regarding this, the Human Rights Commission judged that since Pastor Jeon had lived in the church parsonage for 20 years and could not be considered 'of unknown residence,' and voluntarily appeared for the warrant review, and there was no resistance during the escort, there was no risk of escape, thus constituting a human rights violation.
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However, the Commission noted that since this issue largely stems from investigative agencies' customary practices, rather than holding individual officers accountable, it recommended job training for police officers and revision of the National Police Agency's directive "Rules on Detention and Escort of Suspects" to prevent recurrence of similar cases.
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