By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Police infringed on the human rights of workers from E-Land in investigating them for their sit-in strikes at the retailer's outlets last month, according to a civic coalition Monday.
It said that police made some of the unionized workers remove items of clothing during interrogation and used abusive language.
The association of 37 human rights groups filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission, claiming there were several human rights infringement cases when the police dispersed the workers who were holding sit-ins at Homever in northern Seoul and New Core in southern Seoul, two of E-Land's outlets, on July 20 and 31.
According to the association, a 37-year-old male worker, Lee, who was taken to the Jongam Police Station, northern Seoul, was ordered to take off his pants at the police cell.
``I felt ashamed but had to endure it as I thought it was normal procedure. I later learned that the demand of removing my underwear was excessive, and I resented the insult,'' Lee said in the petition.
Another 27-year-old worker, Hong, said a police officer at Gangbuk Police Station also demanded that he take off his trousers, saying he should check whether Hong had tattoos on his body. He protested, and the officer said, ``It's not a big deal between men, is it? Would you go to a sauna with me?'' according to the coalition.
A 35-year-old unionist Han claimed the police put handcuffs on him for two hours of questioning at Gwanak Police Station. ``I asked them to undo the handcuffs, but police officers threatened to tie me with ropes unless I shut up,'' he said in the petition.
There were testimonies that police officers touched female unionists' breasts in a police car and that the police ignored a call for help from a sick worker who later fainted at the police station, according to the association.
Regarding the petition, Jongam police said they never ordered the workers to remove clothing but investigated them in gowns and underwear. Gwanak police also said handcuffing suspects during questioning is a routine measure taken when suspects are likely to run away or hurt themselves.