UN special reporter to monitor Human Rights

The CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) has welcomed the establishment of a UN special Reporter to monitor the human rights issue in The People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea).

The post was established yesterday by the Commission on Human Rights in which a resolution passed by twenty nine votes to eight, with sixteen abstentions.

Last year the CSW lobbied for the introduction of the first ever resolution on North Korea, and this year lobbied for the appointment of a special reporter. They were pleased with the significant advancement made yesterday in the monitoring of human rights in North Korea.

The CSW’s international advocate orchestrated a meeting at the commission in which they presented evidence of the disturbing human rights situation in North Korea. It is part of a strategy used to raise the issue of human rights as one of the main concerns in the international community.

BBC presenter Olenka Frenkiel presented extracts of the BBC film ‘Access to Evil?and gave further evidence of human rights violations.

Won Cheol Kang, a North Korean defector, told of his own experiences. His powerful and touching account described how he had been sent to a detention camp for just crossing the border. In three months he witnessed eleven of his fellow inmates die. At the time he said that he was unaware that people were not supposed to die in prison.

He also told of how another of his fellow inmates was taken away whilst pregnant and returned having been forced to have an abortion. He did not question these things at the time and only realised the seriousness of the abuse when he left North Korea. He said “North Korean people do not know what human rights are.?

He also tells of issues of North Koreans outside detention, such as when he and fellow pupils had to view public executions. He goes on to talk about the lack of religious freedom in North Korea where David Drew MP, who chaired the meeting, brought up how Christians faced severe persecutions and the restrictions on religious freedom.

The CSW’s chief executive, Mervyn Thomas says of the appointment of the reporter, “We heartily welcome this important development. The people of North Korea suffer under one of the most ruthless and repressive regimes in the world and it is high time the spotlight was focused on this unspeakable suffering. In due time the international community will see evidence of the extremes of inhumanity and barbarity that are inflicted on the people and, no doubt, wish it had acted sooner. After fifty years of rule, it is a welcome development to have an international monitor appointed, and we hope this will encourage North Korea to finally move towards respecting international human rights laws and the basic principles of human dignity?