Published : Aug. 9, 2012 - 20:28
Civic organizations plan to request a U.N. agency this month to investigate alleged torture of Kim Yong-hwan, a North Korea human rights activist, by Chinese investigators.
The Committee on the Torture of Kim Young Hwan which launched on Thursday said it will submit a petition to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.
They are also planning to refer the case to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Geneva.
Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the Saenuri Party (center) speaks at a news conference held by the Committee on the Torture of Kim Young Hwan across from the Chinese Embassy in central Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap News)
“If China does not put out a fair and impartial response within a week, we will begin actively reporting to the international community the details of Kim’s torture,” spokesperson Choi Hong-jae said at a news conference near the Chinese Embassy in central Seoul.
The group succeeded the Committee for the Release of North Korean Human Rights Activist Kim Young Hwan that campaigned for his freedom since his arrest on March 29. He was charged with “endangering national security.”
Kim and his three colleagues were released and expelled from China on July 20. During his 114-day detention, he said he was tortured with electricity, beaten on the face, deprived of sleep and forced into 13 hours of daily labor.
Choi said the committee is collecting additional testimonies and more tangible evidence.
The Foreign Ministry and National Human Rights Commission have pledged to assist their activities.
Kim, 49, received a medical checkup on Wednesday but doctors and experts provided conflicting analyses of a bruise between his cheekbone and muscle. He is slated for a more thorough examination next week.
About 20 members of the committee participated in the conference including a number of attorneys and activists. Among them was Heo Hyun-jun, executive secretary of the Tongyong Daughters Movement, which helped petition the U.N. WGAD over North Korea’s arbitrary confinement of three South Korean women including Shin Sook-ja.
By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)