Ministry of Justice Responds to Criticism of Harsh Measures at Foreigners' Detention Centers as "Unavoidable Actions"

[Photo by Ministry of Justice]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] On the 29th, the Ministry of Justice refuted claims that a Moroccan detainee at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center was subjected to harsh treatment while confined in solitary confinement, stating that "it was a minimum measure for the individual's life and safety."

The Ministry of Justice issued a press release that day, saying, "We are conducting a fact-finding investigation at the Human Rights Bureau level regarding the issues raised by some media and organizations."

According to the Ministry of Justice, Mr. A, a Moroccan who was admitted to Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in March, damaged facilities such as water pipes, windows, closed-circuit television (CCTV), and toilets, and assaulted detention center staff causing injuries over approximately six months.

He also insulted staff by exposing his genitals, frequently engaged in self-harm by stabbing his neck with window shards or banging his head against walls. The detention center deemed it impossible to maintain proper control and reported Mr. A to the police in May.

Before his admission, Mr. A reportedly caused disturbances at a police station in October last year and February this year, threatened a guesthouse operator, and assaulted guests, resulting in criminal punishment.

Regarding allegations of harsh treatment by the detention center, the Ministry of Justice explained that, considering Mr. A's health condition, they attempted to remove protective equipment, but he violently refused and continued to attempt self-harm, making it unavoidable to use the equipment for about three hours.

The Ministry stated, "We will take necessary follow-up measures reflecting the results of the Human Rights Bureau's fact-finding investigation," and added, "We will review whether there are any regulatory shortcomings regarding the use of protective equipment and prepare supplementary measures."

Meanwhile, earlier, the Public Interest Human Rights Foundation Gonggam, the nonprofit organization Duru, and Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Su-jin held a press conference in front of the National Human Rights Commission, claiming that Mr. A was subjected to harsh treatment at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center around June.

They stated that the detention center confined Mr. A in solitary confinement under the pretext of special custody, subjected him to harsh treatment known as the "shrimp break," which involves binding both arms and legs behind the back, forcibly put a helmet on him, and fixed it using box tape and cables.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.