Judges, Prosecutors Urged to Better Respect Human Rights

People often say that if you want the respect of others, you should respect them first. It's hard to believe this saying applies to courtrooms and prosecutors' offices when viewing a string of recent complaints lodged by litigants, criminal suspects and witnesses. In many trials, litigants are overwhelmed by judges' authority and the solemn atmosphere of the courtrooms.

A recent complaint by a 69-year-old plaintiff in a civil lawsuit reminded the public of how he was humiliated by a 39-year-old judge at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul last April. According to the National Human Rights Commission that conducted a probe into the case, the judge told the plaintiff, ``You are acting like an undisciplined child. Behave yourself." The judge made the remarks when the plaintiff repeatedly spoke without his permission.

It is generally improper for a young person, no matter who he or she is, to utter such words to the elderly. It runs counter to traditional Confucian values in Korean society, which call for respect for your elders. The plaintiff claimed that his human rights were infringed upon by the judge's harsh words. And the commission accepted his claim and recommended that the court issue a reprimand to the judge for his use of the inappropriate expression. The chief of the court did what he was told by the rights panel.

It is also fortunate that the court has promised to step up monitoring on judges and work out other measures to prevent a recurrence of similar cases. However, the judge in question denied the complaint, claiming that his words of caution were misinterpreted. He said his action were well within the authority given to a judge, adding that he didn't even remember the exact wording of his remarks. But, he should not try to justify them.

In fact, litigants both in criminal and civil cases have long been forced to endure humiliation, contempt and bad manners from some authoritative judges who looked down on plaintiffs, the accused and witnesses. But things have begun to change on the back of judicial reform in particular and democratization in general over the recent decade. But it is hard to deny that there are still some judges who don't know how to behave themselves in the courtroom.

The problem is more serious within the prosecutors' offices. The commission provided consultations with more than 500 people about their alleged violation of human rights by prosecutors between July 2007 and June 2009. Most of them complained that they suffered verbal abuse during interrogations. It's time for judges and prosecutors to reflect on such complaints because their job is to realize social justice through the rule of law. We urge them to do more to ensure human rights of the people, including criminal suspects. Is there anyone who can tell them to behave themselves?