A brand new report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide has condemned North Korea's continued crackdown on civil and non secular liberties.
The report, titled “North Korea: We Can't Look Away,” was launched to mark the tenth anniversary of the UN Fee of Inquiry's landmark report on widespread human rights abuses within the hermit nation.
The UN report condemned the “seriousness, scale and nature” of the nation's human rights abuses, saying North Korea was “unprecedented on this planet right this moment”.
CSW stated in its annual report that after 10 years, Christianity is especially focused by the continuing crackdown on the religion, though those that categorical an opinion difficult the Kim regime can also face extreme punishment.
“No steps” have been taken by the Kim regime to uphold worldwide human rights requirements, CSW stated, including that the human rights state of affairs in North Korea stays just about unchanged and will even worsen on account of quite a lot of elements, together with the pandemic and the pressured repatriation of North Korean refugees from China .
Punishments for expressing opinions or beliefs deemed to problem the Kim regime embody torture, detention in political jail camps, and even execution. The identical destiny could await North Koreans suspected of utilizing non secular supplies, together with the Bible.
The report attracts on interviews with six North Korean refugees and 17 consultants on the nation and was launched in Seoul, South Korea.
CSW director common Scot Bower stated {that a} decade after the landmark UN report, the Kim regime was “decided to be a pariah on the worldwide stage and act with hostility to international human rights requirements”.
“We hope this report will stimulate additional dialog and revolutionary considering amongst researchers, policymakers, civil society and funders about learn how to tackle one of many world's worst human rights and humanitarian crises,” he stated.
“Our imaginative and prescient stays a North Korea through which everybody can freely train their rights and freedoms, together with the best to freedom of faith or perception, and right this moment we reaffirm our dedication to creating that imaginative and prescient a actuality.”
In a brand new UN report on human rights abuses in North Korea, UN Secretary-Basic António Guterres says North Korea and its leaders have to be held accountable.
Suppression of freedom of thought and expression elevated considerably between July 2023 and Might 2024, with the regime cracking down on “reactionary” content material, in keeping with the report.
“Given the inaction of the Democratic Individuals's Republic of Korea, it’s crucial that accountability be utilized elsewhere. The Basic Meeting… referred to as on the Safety Council and member states to take additional steps to make sure felony accountability, together with referring the state of affairs to the Worldwide Legal Court docket,” Guterres stated .
Timothy Cho, a North Korean who fled the nation and now works for the non secular persecution charity Open Doorways, stated: “It is just proper that the individuals who despatched tons of of hundreds to jail and hunger needs to be held accountable for his or her crimes.
“Nonetheless, with China and now Russia siding with the North Korean regime, that is only a distant dream.”
Open Doorways' coordinator for ministry amongst North Koreans, Simon Lee (identify modified for safety causes), stated North Korea's regulation rejecting reactionary concepts and tradition not solely targets South Korean tradition and international information, but additionally Christians and non secular supplies together with the Bible. .
The official textual content doesn’t point out Christianity or faith, however speaks of “superstitious supplies”.
“Each North Korean is aware of what that phrase means,” he stated.
