North Korea: Dark clouds on the
horizon of peace without rights approach
- Families of political prisoners have no
information on their whereabouts
- North Korean escapees arrested in China
should not be repatriated
- Public executions are still witnessed
GENEVA/SEOUL (21 June 2019) –
“North Korea is at a historical crossroads. If the right and just decisions are
made, a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula will appear on the horizon,”
said UN human rights expert Tomas Ojea Quintana.
At the end of a five-day mission to
Seoul, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, expressed regret that he did not see any
sign of improvement in North Koreans’ human rights.
“I urge the Government of North
Korea to fundamentally reform the human rights mechanisms in order to achieve
peace and development,” he said in a statement.
“To start with, be open about
kwanliso (political prison camps). Stop sending repatriated escapees to
kwanliso. Inform the prisoners’ family members of where they are. The family
members I met, as well as millions of other families, deserve knowing whether
their beloved ones are alive and how they are doing.
“In this regard, I call upon the
Government of China not to repatriate North Korean escapees. I am glad that
China takes humanitarian principles into consideration in deciding on the fate
of the escapees. I strongly hope that they give the primary consideration to
what will happen to the escapees if repatriated to North Korea.
“I am concerned that public
executions seem to be still happening. People continue to live in fear of such
brutal acts and of being sent to kwanliso.
“One the other hand, North Koreans
I met are thirsty for information and freedoms. I urge the Government of North
Korea to develop the conditions where people can securely engage in commercial
activities to make their own livings. It should also relax the control over
access to information. Watching South Korean soap operas and listening to
foreign music does not necessarily make them anti-State.
“I would like to stress once again
that without basic human rights for the people, there will be no long-lasting
peace in the Korean Peninsula.”
ENDS
Mr. Tomás OJEA QUINTANA (Argentina)
was designated as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
the DPRK by the UN Human Rights Council in 2016. Mr. Ojea Quintana, a lawyer
with more than 20 years of experience in human rights, worked for the Inter-American
Commission of Human Rights, and represented the Argentinian NGO “Abuelas de
Plaza de Mayo” in cases concerning child abduction during the military regime.
He also led cases of criminal corporate responsibility. He is a former Head of
OHCHR human rights programme in Bolivia, and served as the UN Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar from 2008 to 2014.
The Special Rapporteurs are part of
what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special
Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights
system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and
monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or
thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on
a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their
work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in
their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, country page: DPRK
OHCHR Seoul Office
For more information and media
requests please contact:
Ms. Madoka Saji (+82 2 725 3525) or
write to msaji@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to
other UN independent experts:
Mr Jeremy Laurence – Media Unit (+
41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)
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