(New York) – The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK), consisting of over 40 human rights groups from around the world, wholeheartedly welcomed the passage of the UN General Assembly resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which was adopted by a vote of 116 for, and 20 against, with 53 abstaining on the December 18, 2014.
ICNK believes that the resolution will pave a new path to the improvement of the people’s rights and help end the systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights in the DPRK.
Through the resolution, the United Nations and international community express their serious concern regarding several kinds of human rights abuses including findings indicated by the Commission of Inquiry’s comprehensive report: (a) violations of the freedoms of thought, expression and religion; (b) discrimination on the basis of state-assigned social class (songbun), gender and disability; (c) violations of the freedom of movement and residence; (d) violations of the right to food; (e) arbitrary detention, torture, executions, enforced disappearance and political prison camps; and (f) enforced disappearance of persons from other countries, including by means of abduction.
Adopting the resolution with the acknowledgment that “crimes against humanity have been committed in the DPRK, pursuant to policies established at the highest level of the State for decades” means international recognition of the need for UN Security Council engagement on the human rights situation in the DPRK.
Therefore, the resolution encourages the Security Council to take “appropriate action to ensure accountability, including through consideration of referral of the situation in the DPRK to the International Criminal Court.”
In alignment with the letter signed by ten UN representatives and sent to the president of the Security Council on December 5, ICNK believes that this is a situation that the Security Council should place on its agenda.
In addition, Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, added that, “The UN mechanisms and member states should sincerely accept the recommendations of the resolution and the commission of inquiry’s report, so that the relevant actions can be taken to cut the chain of impunity for human rights violations perpetrated by the ‘highest level of the state’ and to save innocent victims of crimes against humanity in North Korea.”
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, said that, “With this resolution, the UN member states and the international community have committed themselves to ensuring justice is delivered for the North Korean people’s past suffering and their rights and dignity protected going forward. Now the ball is now in the UN Security Council’s court.”
