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Amnesty International Report 2014/15 the State of the World's Human Rights

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Amnesty International Report 2014/15 the State of the World's Human Rights that the apparent economic opening could KOREA create greater income disparities. It was not accompanied by an improvement in the (DEMOCRATIC general human rights situation. The government attempted to bring in PEOPLE’S foreign exchange currency, including through tourism. Despite such efforts, the state REPUBLIC OF) remained highly sensitive to any actions by foreign visitors that were perceived to Democratic People's Republic of Korea be spreading political or religious ideas not Head of state: Kim Jong-un compatible with those promoted by the state. Head of government: Pak Pong-ju Freedom of information was limited and the internet was not publicly accessible. A national “intranet” was set up instead. The UN released a comprehensive report A rare display of accountability from the on the human rights situation in the government was seen in May, when state Democratic People’s Republic of Korea media reported promptly the collapse of an (North Korea, DPRK), which gave details apartment building in the capital, Pyongyang, on the systematic violation of almost the that killed more than 300 people. Foreign entire range of human rights. Hundreds media in Pyongyang reported that citizens of thousands of people continued to had expressed their anger over the incident be detained in prison camps and other and the government issued an apology over detention facilities, many of them without faulty construction methods. being charged or tried for any internationally recognizable crime. Freedoms of expression, INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINY religion and movement, both within and The UN Commission of Inquiry on Human outside the country, remained severely Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic restricted. The fate of people forcibly of Korea released its report in February.1 disappeared was still unknown, despite The 372-page document presented a the government admitting the involvement comprehensive review of “systematic, of state agents in the abduction of some widespread and gross human rights individuals. violations” and concluded that many of these amounted to crimes against humanity. BACKGROUND The report was presented to the UN The third year of Kim Jong-un’s rule started in Human Rights Council in March, where a December 2013 with the high-profile trial and strong resolution was passed welcoming execution of Jang Song-taek, vice-chairman the report, which garnered support from a of the National Defence Commission and majority of Council member states.2 uncle of Kim Jong-un. This was believed to The DPRK underwent a second Universal be the beginning of a series of political purges Periodic Review (UPR) process in May. in order to further consolidate Kim Jong- The government was more engaged than un’s power, although there were no other during its first UPR in 2010, and this time confirmed executions of political opponents gave responses on which recommendations linked with Jang during 2014. it supported, including those relating to An officially illegal, but government- the effective operation of humanitarian aid. tolerated, private economy continued to However, the government refused to accept expand, including privately operated food more than half of the recommendations, and clothing stalls. It was feared by observers in particular those directed at co-operation 216 Amnesty International Report 2014/15 with the Commission of Inquiry and the FREEDOM OF RELIGION Special Rapporteur on the situation of human The practice of any religion continued to rights in the DPRK. It also rejected outright be severely restricted. Both DPRK and recommendations to close its political prison foreign nationals reportedly received heavy camps, or to allow foreign victims of enforced punishments for exercising their freedom of disappearance to return freely to their religion, including detention in prison camps.4 countries of origin.3 John Short, an Australian missionary, In December, the UN General Assembly was arrested for promoting his religious passed a strong resolution recommending the beliefs and was deported in March only referral of the human rights situation in the after apologizing publicly. Kim Jung-wook, a DPRK to the International Criminal Court. missionary from South Korea, was detained for more than six months without access to a ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS lawyer, before being convicted of setting up Hundreds of thousands of people remained an underground church and spying. He was detained in political prison camps and sentenced to forced hard labour for life. other detention facilities, where they were Jeffrey Fowle, a tourist from the USA, was subject to systematic, widespread and gross arrested in May for leaving a bible at a club human rights violations such as extrajudicial in Chongjin. He was detained for more than executions and torture and other ill-treatment, five months without trial before being released including beatings, long periods of forced in October. hard labour without rest and deprivation of food. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Many of those held in political prison Authorities continued to impose severe camps had not been convicted of any restrictions on the exercise of the right internationally recognizable crime, but were to freedoms of expression, opinion and relatives of those deemed threatening to the peaceful assembly. There appeared to be administration. They were detained without a no independent civil society organizations, fair trial, through “guilt-by-association”. newspapers or political parties. North Koreans The government continued to deny the were liable to be searched by authorities for existence of political prison camps, even the possession of foreign media materials, though satellite images showed not only their and could be punished for listening to, presence, but also ongoing expansion at watching or reading such materials. some of the camps as of the end of 2013. North Koreans as well as foreign citizens FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT were subject to arbitrary detention after Border controls remained tight. The number unfair trials. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd of people arriving in South Korea after fleeing Miller, both US nationals, were convicted of from the north remained low in 2012 and “hostile acts” against the regime in 2013 2013 compared with previous years. and 2014 respectively. Before their release The difficulty of crossing the border was in November, they had begun serving terms increased through enhanced surveillance of forced hard labour of 15 and six years technology according to media in South respectively. In an interview with foreign Korea, including the use of jamming media in August, Kenneth Bae spoke about equipment designed to stop citizens using the unfair trial he received as well as his Chinese cellular phones along the border. The deteriorating health while working in a use of mobile phones for citizens remained labour camp. confined to a closed local network within North Korea. Amnesty International Report 2014/15 217 A group of approximately 29 people, to some of the most vulnerable communities. including a one-year-old baby, were forcibly Restrictions remained in place for those returned to North Korea in early August attempting to monitor delivery of food aid to after being detained in China. While it was targeted groups. not known whether they were charged for crossing the border illegally, they would face possible imprisonment and torture and other 1. North Korea: UN Security Council must act on crimes against ill-treatment, including forced labour, if such humanity (Press Release) charges were brought against them.5 www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/north-korea-un- security-council-must-act-crimes-against-humanity-2014-02-17 ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES 2. North Korea: UN vote a positive step to end crimes against humanity The UN Working Group on Enforced or (Press Release) Involuntary Disappearances asked the DPRK www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/north-korea-un-vote- in August for confirmation regarding the fate positive-step-end-crimes-against-humanity-2014-03-28 of 47 people who were known to have been 3. Urgent need for accountability and cooperation with the international abducted on foreign soil by North Korean community by North Korea (ASA 24/006/2014) security agents and who subsequently www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA24/006/2014/en disappeared. A majority of these were citizens 4. North Korea: End persecution of Christians after reports US tourist of South Korea. detained (Press Release) The government engaged in meetings www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/north-korea-end- with Japan in May to address the issue persecution-christians-after-reports-us-tourist-detained-20 of abductions, and launched a special 5. China: Further information: Families forcibly returned to North Korea committee to reinvestigate cases of Japanese (ASA 17/048/2014) nationals abducted during the 1970s and www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA17/048/2014/en 1980s. The initial report of the reinvestigation was, however, rejected by Japan as it contained no new information about the 12 Japanese nationals already officially admitted by North Korea as having been abducted KOREA from Japan by North Korean security agents. (REPUBLIC OF) RIGHT TO FOOD The World Food Programme reported Republic of Korea in September that the situation of food Head of state: Park Geun-hye availability in North Korea was “severe”. Head of government: Chung Hong-won Despite improved harvests in the two previous years, a dry spell in 2014 brought food ration levels down from 410 to only 250 grams per The rights of workers were violated through person per day in August, which was widely the denial of freedom of association, the seen as an indication of imminent shortage curtailment of legitimate collective action in food availability. Latest statistics revealed and, for migrant workers, exploitation that rates of chronic malnutrition remained under the Employment Permit System. The relatively high in 2013, affecting one in four government increasingly restricted freedom children aged under five. of expression by using the National Security While North Korea received humanitarian Law to intimidate and imprison people.
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