[Editorial] "Government of People" Tortured Citizen to Death: Believable?

A couple of days ago, Cho Chun-hoon, a suspect in a homicide case, was being interrogated at a prosecutors` office. Then, he suddenly died. Later, it became known that he had been beaten to death by his investigators, arousing more and more anger among the citizens. For now, it has not been definitively determined that the investigating agents` beating directly caused the death. But, this case reminds us of the days when torturing, which is an "enemy of democracy," was widely used in interrogations.

President Kim Dae Jung himself was a victim of the harsh tortures rendered by the military regimes in the past. In addition, his administration has stressed the value and importance of human rights over and over. That is why it feels much more shocking to know that this administration led by President Kim Dae Jung has allowed torturing in investigation. President Kim has won the Nobel Peace Prize, and set up a special presidential committee to monitor the human rights violations. But it is this administration that has allowed such counter-human rights activities as illegal wiretapping and torturing, getting near the end of its term. It`s sad and unfortunate.

Above all, it is more than necessary to exactly find out how much torture was imposed on the late victim. It was confirmed that other than beating, the interrogators tortured the victim in another ways such as not allowing the victim to sleep. The agents conceded that they just punched Cho several times in the process of restraining him from hurting himself. But nobody would buy their allegation. It sounds weird to argue that just simple punches led a person to death.

Attorney General Lee Myong-jae ordered a thorough investigation of this case. But, how many people would believe that the investigation would be performed in a fair way if the prosecution says that it will prosecute its own mistakes. It is the responsibility of the prosecution to clear out these doubts by conducting a thorough investigation.

It the victim had not died, we would not have known of the existence of the torturing practices. It is a well-known secret that, during prosecution, a suspect receives harsh, inhumane treatments like swearing, investigation without any sleep, and beating. Our Constitution guarantees the right to live like a human being. This right should be protected at any time under any circumstances. Protection of human rights during investigation is the most fundamental principle to be abided by in a democratic country, and conveys more substantial meaning than government’s lip service to improvement of the human rights.