Activist claims abuse in Chinese detention center

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, October 3, 2023 | 10:30

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Activist claims abuse in Chinese detention center

김영환씨, “중국당국으로부터 가혹행위 있었다”

Posted : 2012-07-25 17:05

Updated : 2012-07-25 17:05

Human rights activist Kim Young-hwan, center, speaks during a news conference at the Community Chest of Korea building in Seoul, Wednesday. Kim returned to Seoul last Friday after being detained in China for 114 days. At right is Rep. Ha Tae-kyung of the ruling Saenuri Party.

/ Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Kim Young-hwan, a human rights activist who was freed last week after 114 days of detention in China, testified Wednesday that the Chinese authorities violated his human rights.

Speaking at a news conference held in Seoul, the 49-year-old activist said the Korean government was aware of this, adding he addressed this briefly during an interview with a Korean consul.

According to Kim, the government is working on a plan to demand China offer an apology and take appropriate measures over the alleged human rights abuses.

Kim said he was not allowed to sleep at night, was malnourished and was forced to do hard labor for 13 hours every day at the Chinese detention center in the northeastern city of Dandong.

“During the first two months, a dumpling that had no filling was served as a meal. I ate only half of it due to severe stomachaches because of the highly stressful situation there,” he said.

In the early 2000s, Kim underwent surgery after cancer was detected in his stomach.

“Harsh treatment by the Chinese authorities was the hardest part that I had to endure there. I had thought hard how I could disclose the appalling human rights condition in China to the outside world,” he said.

The activist said he decided not to campaign for this, as the government is preparing appropriate measures to protest against China.

Kim is one of the four South Korean human rights activists who were freed last week after being arrested by the Chinese authorities in the northeastern city of Dalian in late March on suspicions of being a threat to national security and espionage.

“I lost nearly 10 kilograms while I was there. Later I was ordered to move to a different detention center where living conditions were much better and stayed there for nearly one month before I was released.”

Kim stated that the Chinese authorities forced him to agree to two conditions to be freed.

The conditions read Kim admits that he violated the Chinese law and he wouldn’t disclose the abuses he had undergone during the 114 days at the two different detention centers.

Kim refused the conditions.

He declined to confirm whether or not the terms “abuses or harsh treatment” that he used indicated torture, saying he would let the government follow up on this.

But Choi Hong-jae, his fellow activist who served as a moderator of the news conference, said he would take abuse to include torture.

Choi first raised the suspicion that the Chinese authorities violated the South Koreans’ human rights in May in a phone interview with The Korea Times.

At that time, he claimed Kim could have been tortured, citing Kim’s remarks made during the first interview with a South Korean consul in April.

Asked if there were any human rights violations, Kim was quoted by the consul as having said that he was discouraged to answer this because the Chinese police were present there.

On Wednesday, Choi told reporters that the three others were unable to attend the news conference as their health was extremely poor while they were held in China.

“One of the four activists said he was not allowed to lie down for nearly one month after being arrested as the Chinese authorities didn’t let him sleep,” he said.

Yu Sae-hee, chairman of the North Korean Democracy and Human Rights, and Rep. Ha Tae-kyung of the ruling Saenuri Party attended the news conference.

Ha, a human rights activist-turned-lawmaker, speculated the Chinese authorities could have targeted the South Korean activists who helped North Korean refugees in the northeastern region of China.

“I understand that China is very sensitive to North Korean refugees and therefore the country wants South Korea to take some measures against human rights activists working for refugees there,” he said. “My speculation is that China would have wanted to crack down on Korean activists to send a stern message to discourage them.”

김영환씨, “중국당국으로부터 가혹행위 있었다”
중국에서 북한 민주화 운동을 하다가 체포된 뒤 114일간 구금되었다가 지난주 풀려난 인권운동가 김영환씨는 중국에서 구금되어있던 당시 중국당국으로부터 가혹행위가 있었다고 기자회견을 통해 밝혔다. 구체적인 가혹행위 부분에 대해서는 언급을 회피하면서도, 구금 당시 속이 빈 만두 한개로 한끼 식사를 해결해야 했는데 위가 않좋았던 김씨는 만두 반쪽으로 한끼를 대신했고, 매번 식사는 10분 이내에 해야 했으며, 하루 13시간 동안 강제노역을 해야 했다고 밝혔다. 고문이 있었느냐는 질문에 대해서는 답변을 꺼렸다. 김씨가 답변을 꺼리자 기자회견 사회를 보았던 최홍재 대변인은 “가혹행위라고 하면 고문도 포함된다고 본다”고 거들었다. 처음 한두달 단둥에 구금되어 있었을 때 가장 본인을 괴롭힌 것이 가혹행위 부분이었다고 진술한 김씨는, 만일 석방되지 않고 재판을 진행했다면 재판과정에서 중국의 인권문제를 적극적으로 제기해 볼까 하는 생각도 해 본 적이 있다고 했다. 중국 인권문제 이슈화를 포기한 이유로 김씨는 본인이 전념해온 북한 민주화 이슈가 희석될 것에 대한 우려를 꼽았다. 석방된 이후 심양국제공항에서 중국당국 관계자가 포함된 자리에서 간단하게 석방 관련 행사를 했는데 이 자리에서 김씨는 가혹행위 문제를 적극 제기했다고 밝혔다. 중국당국은 김씨를 석방하는 조건으로 김씨에게 중국법을 위반했다고 진술하고 구금기간 동안 있었던 가혹행위에 대해 발설하지 말 것을 요구했으나 김씨는 이것을 거부했다고 밝혔다.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr