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| The National Human Rights Commission of Korea / Korea Times file |
Correctional authorities' decision not to allow an inmate to leave prison to attend his mother's funeral in 2021 for reasons of COVID-19 quarantine was a violation of human rights, the state human rights watchdog said Wednesday.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has put forward such an opinion after the inmate lodged a petition with it last June saying he could not attend his mother's funeral in December 2021 due to the prison's refusal to permit a leave because of the pandemic.
The current law stipulates that inmates can be granted a special leave of absence within five days in case of the death of a member of their or their spouse's immediate family.
The prison authorities explained that the inmate's application for a special leave was denied in consideration of a growth in the number of COVID-19 infections among inmates and the need to strengthen quarantine measures for the correctional facilities.
But the NHRCK pointed out the spread of COVID-19 could have been prevented with regular quarantine and testing of the inmate after his return from the leave. (Yonhap)
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