Blog 2: U.N. Panel Urges International Action on North
Korean Human Rights Abuses
Due to the shocking evidence
collected the United Nations experts that have been investigating human rights
conditions in North Korea say that it demands international response. With more
people escaping from the brutal police state in North Korea, the Human Rights
Council had pushed for the investigation with the attempts to bring new
attention to allegations of the horrifying abuse. In the recent months the
testimonies that Michael Donald Kirby, the chair-men of the three-member
Commission of Inquiry, got a reaction similar from when the concentration camps
that were found in Europe after WWII. One of the former prisoners said that she
had seen that one of the other woman had to drown her own child in a bucket,
while another man had to burn the bodies of the other prisoners that had died
from starvation. Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, United States ambassador to the
Human Rights Council says that “The great value has begun to shed light on the
horrifying realities of life in North Korea and raise international awareness
of the ongoing tragedy and barbaric conditions there.” (Nytimes, September 17,
2013). Though the actions that will be taken against North Korea are unclear at
this time, it would require the approval of their long time ally China. Chen
Chuandong said “Politicized accusations and pressures are not helpful to
improving human rights in any country…on the contrary; they will only provoke confrontation
and undermine the foundation and atmosphere for international human rights
cooperation.” (Nytimes, September 17, 2013). The panel has sent many requests
for cooperation and access to North Korea, even including a letter to the
country’s leader Kim Jong-un. But the government of North Korea keeps saying
that it “totally and categorically rejects the Commission of Inquiry” (Nytimes,
September 17, 2013). Mr. Kirby has invited North Korea to give hard evidence
that will refute all allegations that had been made but none had been
forthcoming.
In
reading this article it is hard to believe that this kind of activity is still
going on in today’s society. The things that are going on in North Korea are
going against all the human rights that are in place for today’s world. A lot
of people many say that it is kind of behavior goes against all human morals
that we would think people of today’s world would have.
Lindsay Gebbia
September 23, 2013
12:44 a.m.
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