A South Korean rights activist who claims he was tortured while in the custody of Chinese security agents early this year has put off a plan to take his case to the United Nations, a coalition of civic groups representing the activist said Thursday.
Activist Kim Young-hwan was released in July after 114 days in detention in China. Since his release, Kim has claimed in Seoul he was tortured by Chinese investigators with beatings and electric shocks. China flatly denied torturing Kim.
Kim had said that he would take his case to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and to other international human rights organizations.
However, Kim decided to put off that plan because “the issue has been made public in South Korea, China and in international society,” the coalition said in a statement.
Kim’s case is expected to help stop “forced detentions and torture of rights activists in China,” the statement added.
“We are watching the situation while putting off our additional activities, including a plan to submit a letter of appeal to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights,” it said. (Yonhap News)
The coalition also deferred plans to file civil and criminal lawsuits with the Chinese authorities over Kim’s case.
Kim told Yonhap News Agency by telephone, “I am of the same opinion” as the coalition, adding he will “continue activities to improve human rights conditions in North Korea.”
Early this month, senior diplomats from South Korea and China held regular talks on consular affairs in Beijing, where the issue was one of major topics. South Korea pressed China to reinvestigate the claim by Kim, while Beijing denied the accusation again, Seoul officials said.
After an extensive medical checkup of Kim last month, doctors at Seoul National University Hospital said they could not find any physical evidence of torture on his body.
However, they said any signs of torture could have disappeared over the long time that had since passed. Kim was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. (Yonhap News)
