SOUTH KOREA: Farmer dies as a result of the injuries he sustained from police brutality during a rally in Seoul 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about a 43-year-old farmer from Boryeong of South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, who died from a cerebral hemorrhage due to a skull fracture on 24 November 2005 after being beaten by riot police during a rally in Seoul on November 15. The rally was organised by the Korean Peasants League (KPL), in protest against the wider opening of the domestic rice market.

The riot police’s brutality against Mr Jeon is not an isolated incident. In recent weeks, riot police have dealt with Korean farmers protesting against the government’s liberalisation policies in a brutal and violent manner, causing severe injuries (Refer to the AHRC’s statement AS-121-2005: SOUTH KOREA: Police brutality against protesting farmers must end).

We call for your urgent intervention in this matter. Please urge the South Korean government to take genuine steps to conduct a speedy and impartial investigation into Mr. Jeon’s death. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea should be the main body of investigation to ensure its impartiality, as the police themselves are the alleged main perpetrators in this case.  Please also urge the South Korean Government to ensure that the riot police responsible for this brutal act as well as their superiors are held responsible and take effective measures to bring all police brutality to an end.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Jeon Yong-Cheol, aged 43, farmer from Boryeong of South Chungcheong Province, South Korea
Alleged perpetrators: Riot police attached to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
Date of incident: Mr Jeon was injured during a rally in Seoul on November 15 2005 and died from a cerebral hemorrhage due to a skull fracture on 24 November 2005

Mr. Jeon Yong-Cheol, a 43-year-old farmer from Boryeong of South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, died on 24 November 2005 from serious injuries he sustained on November 15 when he was beaten by riot police during a rally in Seoul.

The rally was organised by the Korean Peasants League (KPL), in protest against the government’s anticipated rice import deals, which would give nine rice exporting countries greater access to the Korean market in exchange for delaying full liberalisation. Throughout the country, the KPL organised rallies and farmers took to the streets. At this time, Mr Jeon was reportedly beaten on the back of his head, right eye and chest by riot police attached to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency during their crackdown at about 7:00pm. Although his external wounds did not seem serious and he left the rally with other protesters without obtaining any medical assistance, on his way home he was overheard speaking to two witnesses, saying that his head was very painful after being hit by a police shield.

On November 17, Mr Jeon collapsed in front of his house and was taken to the Boryeong Asan hospital as he was unable to control his body movements. He was then transferred to the Chungnam National University Hospital, where he was hospitalised and treated for a cerebral hemorrhage. He underwent two brain operations on November 18, but died six days later on November 24.

The cause of death recorded by the autopsy surgeons of the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (NISI) was cerebral hemorrhage due to a skull fracture as a result of a fall. Based on the NISI’s autopsy report, the police claim that he died due to a fall in his home after the rally, not from direct blows to the head by the police.

However, a forensic doctor who participated in the autopsy on behalf of Mr Jeon’s family has requested another examination, as the group of forensic doctors carrying out the autopsy made no conclusion as to what caused the skull fracture. Until a conclusive and impartial forensic examination is conducted to determine the cause of Mr Jeon’s death, it is completely inappropriate for the Seoul police to maintain their version and rush to protect themselves from criticism over the violent way in which they have dealt with protesters during recent weeks.

Meanwhile, a photo of Mr. Jeon, who was semi-unconscious after being beaten by the police and carried by other protesters during the rally on November 15, was discovered (To see the photo, click PHOTO 1). In addition, several witnesses reported that they saw the police behaving violently towards Mr. Jeon. Bae Geom, one of the witnesses, said that Mr. Jeon fell on his back as he tried to prevent the police from charging and the police hit him in the chest and face with their shields.

An emergency committee composed of 59 civic groups protested in front of the National Police Agency yesterday calling for the resignation of Huh Joon-Young, Commissioner-General of the National Police Agency, and for him to take responsibility for Mr. Jeon’s death. The committee said that it will not hold Mr. Jeon’s funeral until the cause of Jeon’s death is completely disclosed.

Religious groups consisting of human rights panels from Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant and Won-Buddhist sectors also called for a thorough probe into his death on November 28. During a joint news conference at Seoul National University hospital, where Mr. Jeon’s body was located, the religious groups claimed that Mr. Jeon died from serious injuries during scuffles with police at the rally and rejected the autopsy report made by the state-run NISI.

Facing high criticism regarding Mr. Jeon’s death, Huh Joon-Young, Commissioner-General of the National Police Agency, suggested the farmers’ groups to form a joint fact-finding investigation where a representative from the farmers group could be involved. However, farmers and civic groups refused his suggestion. They said it is nonsense that the police are to investigate the incident as they are the alleged main perpetrators. The group urged the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to lead the investigation to ensure that a fair and impartial investigation be conducted into the incident.

The AHRC is deeply concerned by the death of Mr. Jeon. We strongly urge the Korean government to take an immediate step to conduct a speedy and impartial investigation into Mr. Jeon’s death, including forensic reexamination. We also urge the Government to ensure that the riot police allegedly responsible for this brutal act as well as their superiors are held responsible. Effective measures to bring all police brutality to an end must also be taken.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

In recent weeks, there have been numerous protests by Korean farmers against the government’s liberalisation policies, which anticipated giving nine rice exporting countries greater access to the Korean market in exchange for delaying full liberalisation. These protests have been dealt with by riot police in a brutal and violent manner, causing severe injuries.

The riot police brutality that Mr Jeon was a victim of is not an isolated incident. During the protests at the new U.S. army site in July 2004, many demonstrators were injured. A senior police commander, Mr Lee Jong-woo, was reported to have shouted to the riot police, ‘beat, kick and kill the demonstrators’. At that time about 150 demonstrators were injured, but no legal or disciplinary action was taken against Mr Lee, who is believed to be an ‘expert police commander’ and also supervised the riot police in the rally where Mr Jeon was beaten.

Furthermore, and in a more recent incident, 38-year-old farmer, Chung Yong-pum committed suicide by drinking herbicide in protest against Korea’s agreement with the U.S. and China to double rice imports by 2014.  The Korean government should think seriously about why an individual would take his own life as the ultimate act of protest. Any agreements and schemes for the sake of development that disregard the rights of individuals cannot be sustained and are bound to produce catastrophic results.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

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