[Exclusive] Ex-President Park ‘too unwell’ to be tried in detention: MH Group

MH Group, which has accused South Korean authorities of mistreating and violating the rights of former President Park Geun-hye, claimed Park “is too unwell” to be tried in detention, calling for her provisional release.

In a statement sent to The Korea Herald on Wednesday, the group’s head Mishana Hosseinioun said that “beyond the highly politicized nature of the trial and the arbitrary extension of her detention for a further six months, Park is too unwell to participate in the trial proceedings under the current conditions.”

“If the court has deemed Park fit to stand trial then they should provide independently verifiable evidence to that effect,” Hosseinioun wrote. 

The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday decided on a trial in absentia for Park, who failed to show up at two scheduled hearings in a row, citing health reasons. Park earlier made clear her intention to boycott the trial in protest against the court’s decision last month to extend her detention by another six months.

The court’s lead Judge Kim Se-yoon said the defendant “does not appear to have legitimate grounds for absence.”

A Seoul-based official of MH Group confirmed to The Korea Herald that MH Group officials plan to visit Seoul from Dec. 17-20, but did not reveal other details. The official also declined to reveal whether it had scheduled a visit to the facility where the former president is detained.

Earlier in October, the legal group sent the United Nations Human Rights Council a document concerning Park’s ill treatment in her cell, urging it to safeguard Park’s human rights.

In the document, the group insisted that the 65-year-old former leader “is living in a cell that’s dirty, cold and constantly lit so she cannot sleep,” according to a report by CNN.

The country’s National Human Rights Commission, however, concluded Park’s cell was in an overall good condition, based on an on-site inspection it carried out shortly after the report.

Media reports say MH group has been hired by Park’s aides, including Kim Pyung-woo, who defended her at the Constitutional Court during the impeachment trial in February.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)