A civic group said Monday it will file a petition with the national human rights watchdog over allegations the Army chief ordered the military to hunt down homosexual soldiers.
The Center for Military Human Rights Korea said it will file the case with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea against Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jang Jun-gyu and four investigators for allegedly violating the victims' constitutional rights.
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Lim Tae-hoon, chief of the Center for Military Human Rights, Korea speaks during a press conference held in Seoul on April 17, 2017. (Yonhap) |
The center said the Army carried out a probe to find homosexuals and put some 40 to 50 soldiers on the list, in violation of the Military Criminal Act. Under the law, a soldier who commits "sodomy" or "other disgraceful conduct" can face up to two years in prison.
The civic group said the probe was solely based on the victims' sexual orientation, and there was no material evidence of them having sexual intercourse.
The Army earlier denied the allegations in a statement, saying that the investigation team launched the probe after recognizing that an incumbent soldier uploaded a video of him having sexual intercourse with another male soldier on social media.
The civic group said problems emerged as the Army attempted to identify gay soldiers other than the ones involved in the video based on the evidence it gained while investigating. (Yonhap)
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