Seoul Western District Court. [Photo=Yonhap News]

The Western Freedom Lawyers Association (WFBA) strongly protested on the 24th regarding the appellate court's ruling on the "Western District Court case," stating, "The ruling did not sufficiently reflect the purpose of the appeal, which is to re-examine the facts of the case and the proportionality of sentencing."

On this day, the collegiate division of the Seoul Western District Court, in its appellate review of 36 defendants indicted in the Western District Court case, upheld the first-instance ruling for 16 individuals and commuted sentences for 20 others. However, among those whose sentences were commuted, 18 still received prison terms, with only 2 receiving suspended sentences.

Im Eung-soo, co-secretary-general of the Western Freedom Lawyers Association, stated in a press release, "It is difficult to see this ruling as sufficiently reflecting the substantive truth of the case and the individual responsibilities of the defendants," and added, "It is difficult to gain social acceptance."

The association repeatedly emphasized that the case was not a pre-planned or systematically conspired crime, but rather an incident that occurred spontaneously due to the inability of a crowd to control their emotions in an unforeseen situation.

Attorney Yoo Jeong-ha, who served as a lawyer for former President Yoon Suk-yeol in his case, pointed out, "The court must reflect on whether it has sufficiently considered the nature of the incident that occurred within a collective atmosphere, the individual responsibilities of the defendants, and the impact of prolonged detention on individuals' lives." He added, "The law is not an institution to enforce societal anger, and justice should not consume individual lives to make an example."

The association also argued that the excessive application of the law was evident as individuals who did not even enter the court premises on the day of the incident were classified as rioters and subjected to prolonged imprisonment. They also stated that it is "difficult to avoid controversy over fairness" regarding the fact that the trial was conducted at the Seoul Western District Court, where the victims were listed in the indictment, and that the request for a change of venue was dismissed.

By Kim Young