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Rabat – South Korea’s Ministry of Justice has confirmed the human rights violations against a Moroccan undocumented migrant held at a detention center near Seoul.
South Korean news outlet, Korea Times, said that the ministry acknowledged the human rights violation against the Moroccan migrant today, November 1, following the results of an investigation into the case.
The Moroccan citizen filed a petition against human rights violations, including “torture-like treatment” in June at a detention center in Hwaseong near Seoul.
The Moroccan undocumented migrant has accused the detention center’s employees of his mistreatment and claimed they tied four of his limbs to his back.
Footage from a surveillance camera showed the man lying on the floor of a solitary jail cell, with both his hands and feet bound, and a helmet covering his head.
The Moroccan man appears to be unable to move while in the position.
Human Rights activists and NGOs have denounced the migrant’s mistreatment, saying that the detention center’s employees forced him to stay in an immobile position for periods ranging between 20 minutes, to 4.5 hours.
The South Korean ministry confirmed the human rights violations on the Moroccan man “where protective gear was used on the foreigner in question in a way not grounded in law and protective gear that is not grounded in law was used.”
According to Korea Times, the ministry criticized the “insufficient understanding” and “education” from staff in the detention centers on “the use of protective gear as well as a lack of means to handle recalcitrant foreigners in custody.”
The ministry expressed determination to review the policy governing the use of protective gear for foreigners under custody, as well as the procedures of detaining irregular migrants to avoid similar cases.
The situation of the Moroccan undocumented migrant sparked uproar among human rights groups, who demanded that a thorough investigation be conducted in order to hold those responsible accountable.
“Using rope to bind a person like this and leaving him for a long period of time, which evidently goes beyond the original purpose of their use, can be seen as torture,” stated a coalition of human rights groups for migrants investigating the incident.
The Moroccan man, who allegedly suffered from mental illness, was detained for the “destruction of property at the Hwaseong Foreigner Shelter,” where he lived.
Additionally, he is accused of assaulting staff and causing a disturbance during his stay at the shelter.
