알림 · 뉴스
알림
유엔인권이사회의 2020년 북한 결의안 관련 유엔인권이사회에 보내는 시민사회 공동 공개서한
작성일
2020-02-27 03:09
조회
2247
2020년 2월 26일 10개국 36개 시민사회 단체 및 인사들이 오는 3월말 유엔 인권이사회에서 채택될 예정인 연례 북한인권 결의안에 포함될 북한 인권침해 언급과 권고사항들을 강화시킬 것을 유엔 인권이사회에 촉구하는 공동 서한을 공개하였습니다.
---공개서한 전문---
February 26, 2020
Re: Joint open letter to the UN Human Rights Council concerning the resolution on the situation of human rights in North Korea to be adopted at its 43rd session
Your Excellency,
We are writing on behalf of 36 non-governmental organizations, coalitions, and concerned individuals from 10 different countries worldwide to urge the UN Human Rights Council to make every effort to highlight the on-going systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, including those that amount to crimes against humanity, and appropriate actions to be taken by the stakeholders in the annual resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at its 43rd session.
At the outset, we recognize the critical role played by the UN Human Rights Council and its member states with the annual resolutions on North Korean human rights in 2003 since the time of the Commission on Human Rights that established the landmark UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the situation of human rights in North Korea in 2013 and endorsed its findings and recommendations.
The COI concluded that the DPRK committed crimes against humanity—entailing summary executions, torture, systematic rape, forced abortions, infanticides, persecution, abductions and forced disappearances—against inmates of political prison camps (kwanliso), repatriated refugees and migrants, Christians, starving populations and foreigners, namely Japanese and South Korean citizens and ethnic Korean from Japan as well as unknown number of women abducted from Europe, the Middle East and Asia subjected to forced marriage.
The consistent support from the UN Human Rights Council and its member states for the Security Council to refer the situation in North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was also critical in the Security Council’s annual discussion of the situation of human rights in North Korea in 2014-2017, as well as the recent attempt to renew the discussion that was unfortunately called off by the United States at the last moment in December 2019.
The long struggle to improve the situation of human rights in North Korea requires firm resolve by the UN Human Rights Council and its member states, who can express such resolve in the most public and authoritative way and send a clear message that the systematic, widespread and gross violations, as identified by the COI, cannot continue.
In this context, we urge you to include the following recommendations to North Korea in the resolution to be adopted at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council:
The UN Human Rights Council has an opportunity and responsibility to uphold the human rights of the North Korean people with this upcoming resolution. We need not reiterate that the North Korean people are entitled to human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the dignity and worth of the human person, as reaffirmed by the peoples the United Nations.
Thank you for your consideration. We would be pleased to discuss these matters further with your staff.
Sincerely,
---공개서한 전문---
February 26, 2020
Re: Joint open letter to the UN Human Rights Council concerning the resolution on the situation of human rights in North Korea to be adopted at its 43rd session
Your Excellency,
We are writing on behalf of 36 non-governmental organizations, coalitions, and concerned individuals from 10 different countries worldwide to urge the UN Human Rights Council to make every effort to highlight the on-going systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, including those that amount to crimes against humanity, and appropriate actions to be taken by the stakeholders in the annual resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at its 43rd session.
At the outset, we recognize the critical role played by the UN Human Rights Council and its member states with the annual resolutions on North Korean human rights in 2003 since the time of the Commission on Human Rights that established the landmark UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the situation of human rights in North Korea in 2013 and endorsed its findings and recommendations.
The COI concluded that the DPRK committed crimes against humanity—entailing summary executions, torture, systematic rape, forced abortions, infanticides, persecution, abductions and forced disappearances—against inmates of political prison camps (kwanliso), repatriated refugees and migrants, Christians, starving populations and foreigners, namely Japanese and South Korean citizens and ethnic Korean from Japan as well as unknown number of women abducted from Europe, the Middle East and Asia subjected to forced marriage.
The consistent support from the UN Human Rights Council and its member states for the Security Council to refer the situation in North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was also critical in the Security Council’s annual discussion of the situation of human rights in North Korea in 2014-2017, as well as the recent attempt to renew the discussion that was unfortunately called off by the United States at the last moment in December 2019.
The long struggle to improve the situation of human rights in North Korea requires firm resolve by the UN Human Rights Council and its member states, who can express such resolve in the most public and authoritative way and send a clear message that the systematic, widespread and gross violations, as identified by the COI, cannot continue.
In this context, we urge you to include the following recommendations to North Korea in the resolution to be adopted at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council:
- Political prisoners and the death penalty: Close all political prison camps (kwanliso) and release all political prisoners; respect the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, reduce the offenses punishable by the death penalty, publish detailed statistics and procedure regarding death sentence and executions, introduce a moratorium on executions with a view to abolition;
- Sexual violence: End the widespread prevalence of forced abortion upon pregnant mothers repatriated from China and infanticide of their children to preserve a “pure Korean race”; cease rape and denial of reproductive rights enforced through punishment, forced abortion and infanticide in political prison camps (kwanliso);
- Right to food: Promote equal access to and distribution of food without discrimination based on songbun, North Korea’s sociopolitical classification of its citizens, or privileging of Pyongyang residents, including through full transparency and independent needs assessment by international aid organizations, in particular for vulnerable persons, including women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons and individuals in detention;
- Liberty of movement: Ensure the freedom to leave one's own country, including for the purpose of seeking asylum by ending the practice of shooting those who try to cross the border and sending agents to abduct the escapees and the foreign nationals who help them, and, urge states to comply with their obligations to observe the principle of non-refoulement under the Refugee Convention and Torture Convention;
- International abductions: Return the foreign abductees, namely the nationals of Japan and South Korea and ethnic Koreans from Japan since the Korean War, including the at least six South Korean citizens that continue to be detained and the eleven hostages of the Korean Air YS-11 hijacking terror, as well as unknown number of women abducted from Europe, the Middle East and Asia for forced marriage;
The UN Human Rights Council has an opportunity and responsibility to uphold the human rights of the North Korean people with this upcoming resolution. We need not reiterate that the North Korean people are entitled to human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the dignity and worth of the human person, as reaffirmed by the peoples the United Nations.
Thank you for your consideration. We would be pleased to discuss these matters further with your staff.
Sincerely,
Groups
1969 KAL Abductees' Families Association | South Korea |
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation | UK |
BALAOD Mindanaw | Philippines |
Christian Solidarity Worldwide | UK |
Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR) | South Korea |
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) | USA |
Geoffrey Nice Foundation | Netherlands |
Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) | USA |
Human Rights Watch | |
Human Rights Without Frontiers International | Belgium |
International Child Rights Center (InCRC) | South Korea |
Justice for Iran (JFI) | UK |
Justice For North Korea | South Korea |
Korean War Abductees Family Union (KWAFU) | South Korea |
Korean War POW Family Association | South Korea |
Lawyers for human rights and unification of Korea | South Korea |
Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) | |
LUMEN | USA |
Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights | South Korea |
NK Watch | South Korea |
No Chain | South Korea |
North Korea Strategy Center | South Korea |
Now Action & Unity for Human rights | South Korea |
Open North Korea | South Korea |
People for Successful Corean Reunification | South Korea |
Rohingya Human Rights Network | Canada |
Stepping Stones | UK |
The 88 Project | USA |
Transitional Justice Working Group | South Korea |
Unification Academy | South Korea |
Unification Media Group | South Korea |
Unification Strategy Institution | South Korea |
Individuals
David Alton, Lord | Independent Crossbench Member of the House of Lords & Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea |
Sonja Biserko | Former Commission of Inquiry (COI) member on the situation of human rights in the DPRK & current chair at the Helsinki Human Rights Committee in Serbia |
Yanghee Lee, Ph.D. | UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar / Former Chairperson of UN Committee on the Rights of the Child |
Vitit Muntarbhorn | Former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK |