South Korea’s human rights commission says the state is responsible for the death of an undocumented worker who fell eight meters while trying to run away from an immigration office raid.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea on Wednesday released the result of its four-month investigation into the death of Myanmarese Than Zaw Htay in September of last year. 

Based on body camera footage from the raid and witness testimonies, the human rights watchdog said that the Justice Ministry and immigration office staff should have strictly observed field regulations that call for ensuring the safety of the suspected illegal immigrants. 

While noting that the no humanitarian rescue efforts were carried out other than dialing the emergency services, the commission also advised the Justice Minister to reprimand those responsible, and asked the Korean Bar Association to provide legal assistance for the family of the victim.   

The government was also advised to come up with measures to prevent any similar accidents.

The 25-year old undocumented worker fell off a structure at a construction site in August while trying to flee immigration officials targeting illegal aliens in a raid. He was declared brain dead in hospital and donated his organs to four South Koreans.

The police and the Justice Ministry concluded that the immigration officials are not legally responsible for his death.