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| 11 September 2024 NORTH KOREA: NEW REPORT FINDS SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS HAS ONLY DETERIORATED TEN YEARS SINCE LANDMARK INQUIRY |
CSW has today published a new report on North Korea which finds that the Kim regime continues to act with flagrant disregard for international standards and citizens face unparalleled violations of human rights, including of the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), on a daily basis. The report, titled ‘North Korea: We cannot look away’, commemorates the 10th anniversary of the publication of the report the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is widely considered to be the most comprehensive report on human rights violations in the country. Ten years on from the publication of the COI’s report, CSW finds that the Kim regime has made no effort to uphold international human rights standards and has taken no steps to participate as an equal and active member of the international community. The situation of human rights in the country remains unchanged at best and may even have deteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased prioritisation of weapons testing and development, the introduction of new domestic legislation, and the continued forced repatriation of North Korean refugees from neighbouring China. Drawing on interviews with six North Korean escapees and 17 experts on the country, the report highlights the complete absence of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief in the DPRK. It finds that although all religions and beliefs face repression, Christianity is particularly targeted, suggesting that this is likely due to the extent to which Christian ideology runs counter to Juche ideology, which has been compared to a form of compulsory state religion. Those who express an opinion or a belief which challenges the supreme authority of the Kim regime face severe punishment, including torture, detention in the country’s political prison camp system, and even execution, as do individuals suspected of exposure to and engagement with religious materials, particularly Bibles. To coincide with the publication of the report, CSW and the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), who translated the report into Korean, held a launch event in Seoul, South Korea. The event featured contributions from academics and diplomats, and welcomed family members of individuals currently imprisoned in the DPRK. CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘Ten years since the publication of the Commission of Inquiry’s landmark report on North Korea – which famously concluded that the ‘gravity, scale and nature’ of human rights violations in the country ‘reveal a State that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world’ – and the Kim regime remains committed to being a pariah on the international stage and acting with hostility towards global standards for human rights. We hope that this report generates further conversation and innovative thinking among researchers, policymakers, civil society and funders on how to address one of the worst human rights and humanitarian crises in the world. Our vision remains one of a North Korea in which everyone is free to exercise their rights and freedoms, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, and today we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that this vision becomes a reality.’ Notes to Editors: Click here to download the report as a PDF. Click here to download the report in Korean.  Caption: CSW’s CEO Scot Bower at the report launch in Seoul. |
Remarks of Lord Alton of Liverpool made in Westminster Hall and sent by electronic link to the Conference in Seoul:
Distinguished Guests:
I send my apologies that I cannot be with you in person, but I am grateful for the opportunity to participate from afar. Greetings from the heart of our Westminster Parliament – which embodies all of the freedoms and liberties to which the benighted, suffering people of North Korea are also entitled
This report compiled by CSW commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that investigated human rights violations in North Korea.
The CoI report found clear and irreputable evidence of State involvement in crimes against humanity.
This updated summary highlights developments over the last 10 years and stands as a critical and timely reminder to the international community that the humanitarian crisis in North Korea is continuing.
We cannot look away.
Central to the report’s findings is that ten years on, egregious denial of fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion remain. If anything, the situation has deteriorated.
Moreover, North Korea remains one of the most repressive and controlling states on earth for religious groups.
Crimes against humanity persist and the state acts with total impunity while Kim’s regime is insouciant towards its obligations under international law.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to CSW for their dedication in shining a light on the situation in North Korea.
May this report serve as a catalyst for renewed efforts to address the humanitarian crisis and provide support to those survivors who have endured unimaginable hardship.
Together, let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding human rights and dignity, striving towards a future where the people of North Korea can live free from fear and oppression and the perpetrators and enablers of Kim’s regime are held accountable and brought to justice as the UN Commission of Inquiry called for a decade ago.
