United NationsNations Unies 유엔 조선민주주의인민공화국 인권조사위원회 COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRESS RELEASE 23 August 2013 UN inquiry on human rights in North Korea set to begin hearings in Japan TOKYO, August 23 -- A United Nations commission of inquiry examining the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea moves next week to Japan, where it will hold two days of public hearings that will include testimony on the abductions of Japanese nationals to the DPRK. The three- member UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK travels on Tuesday (Aug. 27) to Tokyo from Seoul, where it is currently holding five days of public hearings as well as other consultations on a variety of human rights issues. These have ranged from political prison camps and torture to religious persecution, discrimination and the right to food in the DPRK. Those testifying before the commission include a number of witnesses who recently fled the north and are able to provide first-hand accounts of violations of their human rights. The chairperson of the three-member UN panel, Michael Kirby, said the Seoul and Tokyo public hearings are aimed at increasing public awareness of the human rights situation in the DPRK, which has so far failed to respond to the commission’s requests to visit the country. An invitation to the DPRK government to participate in the commission hearings also received no reply. “Lacking direct access to the DPRK, we are still able to gather numerous first-hand accounts from people who have managed to leave the country in recent years,” Kirby said. “We hope their brave decision to testify will raise the international profile of the human rights situation in North Korea – not just with a general global audience, but also among the member states of the United Nations.” Kirby reiterated that the commission is conducting the inquiry with impartiality and with no preconceptions. Japan, along with the European Union, co-sponsored a resolution in the UN Human Rights Council in March 2013 that led to the establishment of the Commission of Inquiry on the DPRK. Japan continues to be a strong supporter of the commission’s work. Issues of particular relevance to Japan – abductions and the fate of Japanese nationals in the DPRK -- are expected to be raised in the Tokyo public hearings, which begin on Thursday (Aug. 29) morning and continue through Friday (Aug. 30) at the United Nations University. The abduction of Japanese citizens by the DPRK remains a sharp issue in Japan and a point of tension between the two states. In the mid-1970s and early 1980s, a number of Japanese were abducted by suspected agents of the North Korean government. Although the number of abductions is subject to debate, there are at least 17 acknowledged cases. The likelihood is many more.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 07:43:27 +0000