'Reenactments of sex crimes violate human rights'
It is a human rights violation for a law enforcement authority to make a victim of sexual violence participate in a reenactment as part of its investigation, Korea's human rights watchdog said. / Gettyimagebank
By Kim Jae-heun
It is a human rights violation for a law enforcement authority to make a victim of sexual violence participate in a reenactment as part of its investigation, Korea's human rights watchdog said Sunday.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) recommended prosecutors devise measures to prevent such human rights violations from reoccurring and further traumatizing victims.
In 2014, Lee Kyung-hee, a national rhythmic gymnastics team coach who defected from North Korea, claimed a ranking official at the Korea Gymnastics Association had sexually harassed her and tried to rape her. The official resigned at the time but was again named as a vice head of the association, and Lee made the assault public via broadcast.
According to the NHRCK, the prosecutors told Lee to re-enact the crime twice during their investigation in 2017 and had a stand-in do so once. A joint committee of gymnastics and civic group officials said of the sexual violence case, “The prosecutors ordered police officers to record the reenactment including a scene when the victim's pants were pulled down. Lee said she could not refuse to do so.”
The committee filed a petition to the NHRCK in June.
The NHRCK said it was understandable the law enforcement authorities needed the procedure as part of their investigation to grasp the situation precisely. “But they did not consider that such a practice could further traumatize the victim,” an NHRCK official said.
The human rights watchdog advised the prosecutor general to establish new regulations to stop victims of sex crimes from being involved directly in crime scene reenactments and to minimize their humiliation.
The NHRCK also advised Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office head Yoon Seok-youl to give a written warning to the relevant prosecutors and educate them to prevent similar cases from occurring.
The prosecution said there was a communication problem between the prosecutors and the police officers about re-enactments and using stand-ins instead of victims.