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When I was imprisoned in Seoul/Mok-dong Immigration Detention Center - between the end of June until the beginning of August 2005 - a (female) representative of the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) visited us to conduct a "survey" about the conditions and treatment of inmates there. It was a part of a nationwide "survey". And, as the representative told me, it wasn't the first one in the past years.. And despite several "surveys" and reports (to the Ministry of "Justice") before, according to her, almost nothing has changed until that time(*)..

Now the NHRC, according to today's Korea Herald, came to the "surprising"(!!!) realization that the..

..'Conditions at detention centers for illegal foreigners are poor'  
   

Conditions and treatment for illegal foreigners at so-called "protection" centers across the country need to be significantly upgraded, the nation's human rights watchdog announced yesterday.

The National Human Rights Commission conducted a survey of 10 state-run facilities, including those in Seoul, Incheon and Busan, between June and November of last year, through on-site inspection, face-to-face interviews, and written inquiries of those held at the centers. Based on its findings, the commission will send its recommendations to the Justice Ministry sometime this week.

Public calls for improving the conditions of unauthorized foreigners at such sites have become more frequent in the wake of the fire last February at an immigration office in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, which claimed the lives of 10 foreigners.

"We have surveyed human rights conditions at prisons many times before, but this was the first time that we've taken such an in-depth look at the facilities for foreigners," an official with the commission said, declining to be identified.

The commission said in a press release that facilities at immigration offices are not properly ventilated and illuminated, and that people kept at such centers are not given basic freedom of movement. The foreigners can use medical facilities and can exercise on playgrounds only with the permission of the authorities.

The commission also found that basic items such as underwear, shampoo and cosmetics are not allowed in from outside, and that security cameras installed in each cell may infringe on the detainees' privacy.

It also noted that the inmates are forced to use Korean only when people visit them. In addition, the commission reported that meals are given, without taking into account the individuals' cultural background.

The panel is set to recommend to the ministry that the "protection" of those with illegal status be conducted only if absolutely necessary, as such incarceration could constrain their fundamental rights.

It also called for a legal apparatus to be set up to protect these individuals' rights -- something equivalent to a criminal law -- given the fact that "protecting" foreigners at these centers usually has the same effects as arresting them.

When illegal foreigners are apprehended by authorities, the arrested ones temporarily stay at "protection" centers until the necessary procedures for their deportation are carried out. This "protection" period can last longer when there are issues involving unpaid wages, passport problems, or ongoing lawsuits.

* Following some impressions(^^) of the conditions in Mok-dong Immigration Detention Center in summer 2005:

☞ Mok-dong "Holiday Inn", aka.. #1

☞ Mok-dong "Holiday Inn", aka.. #2

☞ Mok-dong Immigration Terror