[Opinion] Tortured into Confession

Torturing was a legitimate institutional arrangement when confession was considered hard evidence of crimes. Chosun Dynasty adopted a device called `Shinjang` to beat suspects into confession. `Shinjang` was a 60cm-long, 24cm-wide and 6cm-thick board with a 39cm-long and 21cm-wide handle. Still, beating were not allowed be more than 30 times, with the area set for the lower legs below the lap (avoiding the shinbone). To beat a suspect again, interrogators had to wait for another three days. Often times, however, bigger-sized boards were used and the 30 times limit and the target part ignored. They also devised new ways of torturing against the law, which included twisting, hard-pressing and applying heat on bodies.

▷Even after torturing was banned by the law, the practice persisted in more illicit and genuine ways. An anti-government and human rights activist under the Fifth Republic dictatorship once introduced the ways the world’s autocratic states tortured their people, alluring what happened in the country, including some 100 kinds of torturing named dog-meal, twisting, water, sewage, nail, teeth, sole and vigilance torture. The following is detailed explanation.

▷They first lay a naked suspect on a 1m-long and 1.7m-wide torturing frame made of 4 to 5 square bars. Then, they roll the suspect’s body with a prepared blanket and tie his ankles, laps, thighs, stomach and chest. After covering his eyes with a bandage, they put a thick towel on his mouth and nose, and began to pour water from a kettle. Or they lessen the water-torturing and instead, connect electric wires with the suspect’s toes to let the electric currents flow into his body.

▷This is what an anti-government activist had to go through under the Fifth Republic’s junta government. Time has changed and the man has now become one of the top policymakers in the ruling party. Yet, torturing is still persisting, however. Interrogators at the prosecutor’s office still lay a suspect on the floor, cover his face with a towel and pour water. Although the severity of torturing appears to have lessened, the magnitude of the shock has been redoubled. While saying it will shut down the interrogation room, the prosecutor’s office is all determined to arraign the witness in the case and find out whether he made false statements. It looks as if the investigative body is looking after another confession by force.

Park In-je, Editorial Writer and Lawyer, ijpark2356@hanmail.net