CSW condemns execution of North Korean Christian woman

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has condemned reports of ongoing violations of religious freedom in communist North Korea in light of last month’s public execution of one Christian woman.

Ri Hyon Ok, 33, was publicly executed on June 16 for allegedly distributing the Bible, and also for charges of spying for South Korea and the United States, according to reports from the Investigative Committee on Crimes Against Humanity.

In accordance with the ‘guilt by association’ principles employed by the regime, three generations of her close family are believed to have been imprisoned following the execution.

North Korea has one of the worst human rights records in the world. In its report, North Korea: A Case to Answer- A Call to Act, CSW said there was a prima facie case for the commission of crimes against humanity and that there were indicators of genocide against religious groups, specifically Christians.

CSW is calling for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate this evidence.

Another Christian woman, Li Mingshun, is being detained in Inner Mongolia on charges of helping to smuggle 61 North Korean refugees into China. According to CSW Hong Kong, the Chinese-Korean woman could not afford to pay a fine of 100,000 Yuan to authorities in Qingdao this April.

Thousands have sought to flee North Korea as a result of the famine and human rights violations, but those who help refugees are treated exceptionally harshly by the regime and in many neighbouring countries.

Tina Lambert, CSW’s Advocacy Director said: “There is no religious freedom in North Korea despite the regime’s efforts to create an appearance of limited freedoms in Pyongyang particularly.

"Individuals associated with this largely ‘illegal’ practice are often deemed ‘enemies of the state’ hence the allegation that Ri Hyon Ok was a spy may well emanate from her association with a faith outside of the culture of idolatry of the Great Leader.

"It is imperative that the international community respond appropriately to these grave reports and ensure that the regime is held up to international scrutiny and not rewarded for its, often successful, attempts to hide these crimes against humanity.”