By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
People injured during their protests against the resumption of American beef imports have filed a lawsuit against police for their ``excessive'' use of force.
Members of a coalition of civic groups opposing the imports said at a media briefing in Seoul Tuesday that 12 victims and the groups had filed the suit.
In all-night rallies over the weekend, dozens of people were injured while scuffling with riot police when trying to approach Cheong Wa Dae, with some of them getting injured.
They filed the suit against National Police Agency Commissioner General Eo Cheong-soo, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Han Jin-hee, Seoul Metropolitan Mobile Police Chief Shin Du-ho, and unidentified riot police officers who they allege assaulted protestors.
A 38-year-old graduate school student at the briefing criticized riot police officers for attacking demonstrators citizens and hitting him in the face with their shields. He had an injury near his eye, and a video clip showing him falling down after the ``attack'' has been spread across the Internet.
A female university student, who was shown in a video clip being thrown down in the street and then kicked in the head, is not taking part in the lawsuit, a coalition member said. The students said earlier that she was considering filing a separate suit.
In the meantime, police have released all people who were arrested during the rallies. They set free 545 people who were taken to police stations, booking 473 of them without physical detention and returning 56 to summary trials.
This is contrary to a previous plan to take stern action against protestors, including seeking arrest warrants. A police officer said there was insufficient evidence to prove violent behavior or other illegal acts required for the issuance of the warrants.
It is said that police also considered that seeking the warrants might fuel the public's ``anti-government sentiment'' with the issues people are denouncing moving from beef imports to the Lee Myung-bak government's policies in general.