A video of a Moroccan migrant in South Korea locked in a refugee detention center, with his hands and feet handcuffed raised wide controversy online.
Local media reported that the 30-year-old Moroccan has been in the Hwaseong detention center in Gyeonggi province for over six months, appearing in inhumane conditions, according to human rights NGOs.
Korean media said the situation in which the Moroccan migrant appeared is due to “acts of violence committed by other Moroccans residing with him in the same center.”
Migrant human rights NGOs in South Korea condemned “the excessive use of force against the detainee in a refugee detention center,” calling for those responsible to be punished and for measures to be taken to prevent such habits.
A coalition of these NGOs held a press conference on Wednesday before the National Human Rights Committee in Korea, in which they called for the detainee’s immediate release while the director of the refugee Detention Center of Hwaseong asked for an apology from the Minister of Justice.
A diplomatic source told Hespress that the video dated back to last June, noting that “as soon as the Moroccan embassy in Seoul was informed about the case, it moved to action by contacting the Korean foreign ministry and the center of refugees where this Moroccan citizen resides.
“Moroccan diplomatic officials intervene in such cases so that the concerned person receives the necessary assistance like any Moroccan
citizen in similar circumstances,” the same source added.
The same sources said that the Moroccan refugee “protested against the poor conditions and repeatedly requested medical treatment for the mental and physical illnesses he suffered from, but all his requests were rejected”, adding that “he faced violent acts by the agents of the center, isolating him right after.”
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