By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA (Reuters) – World powers bear responsibility for ignoring crimes against humanity that could still be committed by North Korean authorities amid focus on its nuclear program, a UN human rights investigator said on Wednesday.
Tomas Ojea-Quintana has called on the UN Security Council to refer serious violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (NCR) to the International Criminal Court for prosecution.
He expressed concern over reports of severe penalties imposed for violating the COVID-19 closure measures, including alleged orders to try to shoot a person in the face.
“Crimes against humanity could continue,” Ojea-Quintana told the UN Human Rights Council.
He received information confirming the findings of a major 2014 UN commission of inquiry into extermination, murder, slavery, torture, rape, forced abortion, sexual violence, political persecution and ‘the inhuman act of knowingly causing prolonged famine’ in the isolated country.
“The urgency of stopping violations of such magnitude, gravity and nature cannot take into account national or geopolitical interests,” Ojea-Quintana told the Geneva forum.
It was not justified under the UN Charter, he said, adding: “I believe the Security Council is responsible for the lack of action against the continuation of crimes against humanity in the DPR Korea.”
Ojea-Quintana presented its latest report, released last week, which said that drastic measures taken by North Korea to contain the new coronavirus had exacerbated abuse and economic hardship for its citizens, including reports of famine.
“We are concerned about increasing reports of famine, imprisonment and summary executions,” U.S. Attorney Cass Cassre told the council.
Australia’s Deputy Ambassador, Jeffrey Roach, said North Korea’s top priority should be to improve the lives of its citizens. “Instead, the regime’s focus remains on developing weapons of mass destruction and the vehicles to deliver them,” he said.
North Korea’s mission to the UN in Geneva did not respond to Reuters’ inquiries. Pyongyang does not recognize the mandate of the UN investigator and boycotted Wednesday’s debate.
It has previously rejected UN allegations of crimes against humanity.
(Posted by Stephanie Nebehay; Edited by Bernadette Baum and Steve Orlofsky)