Prison hit for barring inmate from attending mother's funeral due to COVID-19

▲ A file photo of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Yonhap)

inmate special leave-watchdog

Prison hit for barring inmate from attending mother's funeral due to COVID-19

SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- 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.

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