CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE For immediate release

April 16 2003

CSW WELCOMES FIRST UN RESOLUTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA BUT REGRETS FAILURE TO ADDRESS SOME KEY ISSUES

Today’s adoption by the UN Commission on Human Rights of its first ever resolution on the situation of human rights in North Korea has been welcomed by CSW.

The adoption at the UNCHR session in Geneva marks an important step in the demonstration of resolve within the international community to address the severe human rights situation in the country.

CSW has been lobbying for the resolution to be adopted, but remains concerned that the text does not do justice to the seriousness of the violations taking place in the country and fails to address certain key human rights issues.

Earlier in the session, CSW’s President Baroness Cox chaired a parallel meeting on the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in North Korea. Among the speakers were two former North Korean prisoners, who described the gruesome and dehumanising treatment of prisoners.

The resolution calls upon North Korea to co-operate with the thematic procedures of the Commission, including those on food, torture, religious freedom, arbitrary detention and disappearances. It also requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to engage in a comprehensive dialogue with the authorities and to submit his findings and recommendations to the next session of the Commission.

The text also addresses the important issues of the mistreatment of women and discrimination against disabled children. It focuses upon the critical issue of humanitarian aid, highlighting the need for aid to be distributed according to humanitarian principles and the need for international access for monitoring.

Commenting on the resolution, Baroness Cox said: “I greatly welcome the adoption of the resolution. This new initiative in tabling and passing the first ever resolution on North Korea within the Commission is a very positive and encouraging sign. I hope that this will prove to be a key step in the international community’s resolve to address the large-scale human rights abuses taking place in virtually every sphere across North Korea.

“The seriousness of the violations of human rights cannot be over-emphasised. The whole population lives without guarantee of rights, subject to arbitrary punishment and severe controls on freedom of information, expression, assembly and movement. Freedom of religion is heavily repressed, with the harshest of penalties meted out to those found practicing religious beliefs, especially Christianity. Anyone suspected of failing to fully support the regime is liable to torture, imprisonment in a brutal camp or execution.

“While welcoming the resolution, I am disappointed that it does not sufficiently address a number of key concerns, including the punishment of family members and the right to a fair trial. Outstanding issues also include the desperate plight of the refugees and the need for a solution to be found so that those wishing to leave North Korea can reach a place of safety. If the international community is serious about protecting the rights of North Koreans it needs to attend to this issue as a matter of urgency. The resolution also fails to address the horrific treatment of women returned to North Korea, where they can be subject to forced abortions or to watching their newborn babies killed in front of them.

“I am encouraged that the resolution reflects a growing awareness amongst the international community that it needs to react to live up to its responsibilities to defend human rights. When we have failed to address atrocities taking place around the globe in the past, history has shamed us for our inaction. I am glad that the resolution is a positive indication of increased concern and resolve over this issue. I hope that the international community will continue to focus on the violations of human rights in North Korea and act to halt the appalling suffering of the people.”

CSW welcomes the fact that the text addresses the critical issues of torture, prison camps, forced labour, denial of detainees’ rights and the death penalty, together with the severe restrictions on the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, peaceful assembly and association, access to information and movement.

The text importantly underlines the seriousness of the problem of lack of access for monitoring, a key issue in the case of North Korea, where lack of information has long been a reason for lack of attention to the country’s appalling human rights record.

CSW also welcomes the fact that the text calls upon the government to refrain from sanctioning citizens who have moved to other countries and from treating their departure as treason leading to internment, inhuman or degrading treatment or the death penalty. The text also requests the international community to ensure respect for the fundamental principles of asylum.

However, the resolution fails to highlight one of the reasons why so few North Koreans are willing to divulge information, the practice of punishing families for one individual’s offence. It also fails to adequately address the desperate situation of North Koreans outside the country, specifically those in China.

China flatly refuses to recognise that North Koreans who cross into its territory may be refugees, instead giving them the blanket label of economic migrants. This is in spite of the fact that it is clear that North Koreans suffer persecution on the grounds specified in the UN refugee convention, to which China is a party. Despite clear evidence, China refuses even to allow the UN High Commission for Refugees access to the North Koreans in its territory, instead sending the escapees back to face punishment.

This issue is unlikely to be addressed effectively at the Commission on Human Rights due to China’s political strength. Paradoxically, China’s power within the Commission on Human Rights to prevent action to promote human rights stands in stark contrast to the powerlessness of the North Korean victims of its policies.

The resolution also fails to address the treatment by the North Korean regime of women returnees. CSW and other human rights organisations have received evidence from a number of returnees who have witnessed the mistreatment of women upon repatriation. Those found to be pregnant have been subject to forced abortion, or where the pregnancy is more advanced, to watching as their newborn baby is smothered to death in front of them. Somewhat ironically, given China’s position, the North Korean interrogators particularly target women believed to have been impregnated by Chinese men.

However the text fails to address the lack of fair trial and due process. Nor does the wording do justice to the victims of the widespread use of torture and the hundreds of thousands believed to be currently suffering under conditions of unspeakable inhumanity and extreme cruelty in the prison camps.

For more information or a full report on human rights abuses in North Korea, please contact Richard Chilvers, Communications Manager at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on 020 8949 0587 or 020 8942 8810 or email

os.yahoo.com/rlgmediaau”>http://au.photos.yahoo.com/rlgmediaau http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon_williams ——————————————————————- Telling others, what others are doing for the Lord.

— Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).