What happened to the Moroccan detainee at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center?

He said officials tied his four limbs behind his back in what is known as a shrimp’s posture and placed him in solitary confinement. CCTV footage showed he remained in that position for more than four hours while wearing headgear fastened with box tape and cable ties.

Why did the Justice Ministry say human rights violations occurred at the detention center?

The ministry said a fact-finding probe confirmed that protective gear was used on the foreigner in a way not grounded in law. It also said the use of protective gear itself was not grounded in law.

What changes did the Justice Ministry promise after the investigation?

The ministry said it would revise the regulations governing protective gear for foreigners under custody and also change procedures for detaining illegal immigrants. It said the goal was to prevent similar cases from happening again.

Gov't acknowledges rights violation at detention center for undocumented immigrants

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Summary

The justice ministry acknowledged Monday that human rights violations occurred at an immigration detention center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, after investigating allegations of torture-like treatment against a Moroccan man in his 30s. CCTV footage showed him tied in a shrimp’s posture for more than four hours with headgear, box tape, and cable ties. The ministry said the protective gear use was not grounded in law and promised to revise related regulations and detention procedures.

Key Facts

The man filed a petition with the national human rights watchdog after saying he was maltreated in June at the Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul.
Officials accused of misconduct tied his four limbs behind his back and placed him in a solitary cell.
The ministry said officials had an insufficient understanding and education on the use of protective gear and lacked means to handle recalcitrant foreigners in custody.

Published Nov 1, 2021 4:36 pm KST
Updated Nov 1, 2021 4:37 pm KST

A Moroccan man is detained ― on his stomach with his feet and hands tied behind his back and with his head bound in protective head gear ― in solitary confinement at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province, in this video footage taken in June. The Ministry of Justice acknowledged Monday that human rights violations occurred at the detention center. Courtesy of Duroo Association for Public Interest Law

The justice ministry acknowledged Monday that human rights violations occurred at a detention center for undocumented immigrants in June after an investigation into allegations that an inmate suffered torture-like treatment.

The investigation came after the inmate from Morocco in his 30s filed a petition with the national human rights watchdog, claiming he was maltreated while being detained in June at an immigration processing center in Hwaseong, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul.

He accused officials at the center of tying his four limbs on his back in what is known here as a shrimp's posture and putting him in a solitary cell. CCTV footage showed he was kept in that posture for more than four hours, wearing headgear and tied with box tape and cable ties.

"Through a fact-finding probe, a case of human rights violations has been confirmed, where protective gear was used on the foreigner in question in a way not grounded in law and protective gear that is not grounded in law was used," the ministry said.

The ministry blamed the situation on officials' "insufficient" understanding and education on the use of protective gear as well as a lack of means to handle recalcitrant foreigners in custody.

The ministry also said it will revise the regulations governing the use of protective gear for foreigners under custody and the procedures of detaining illegal immigrants, respectively, to prevent a repeat of similar cases. (Yonhap)

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