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A lot of things pass through our inboxes, but we were intrigued by notice of an inaugural conference of the International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea that took place last week in Tokyo (a full schedule attached below). Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation for Human Rights supported the effort, which was billed as a follow-up to an Appeal for Action campaign that the group co-launched in December 2009 with Open Radio for North Korea.
As it turns out, our friend David Hawk had a hand in drafting the rationale for the effort; Hawk has played a highly-visible role on North Korean human rights issues through his reports on the prison camp system and religious persecution among other things (all conveniently available on his website).
But what interested us in particular was the thoughtful rational provided for a UN Commission of Inquiry drafted by Hawk in late 2009 (“Responsibility, Accountability and Redress for Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea: Getting Started through a Prima Facie/First Look by the United Nations”) and posted up by the Canadian-based Council for Human Rights in North Korea.
Hawk argues that there is a prima facie case for such an investigation on the basis of outside information about the concentration camps (kwanliso) and detention of returned refugees, about which we have talked as well in Witness to Transformation. His report is worth quoting:
“Previous efforts in the UN system to seek redress for genocide and crimes against humanity have begun with a “first look” prima facie investigation of the facts and the law on behalf of the United Nations by distinguished international lawyers coming from a geographically balanced variety of UN member states as appointed by the Secretary General. In the cases of the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda the prima facie investigation was undertaken by a “Commission of Inquiry” appointed by the UN Secretary General upon the request of the Security Council. In the case of Cambodia the prima facie investigation was undertaken by a “group of experts” appointed by the Secretary General upon the request of the General Assembly, in that case via inserting a provision in the annual General Assembly Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in Cambodia.”
The ultimate legal grounds for redress include seeking individual accountability via the International Criminal Court (ICC); assessing state responsibility via deliberations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ); and the emerging doctrine of “the responsibility to protect” (R2P).
We don’t expect much to come of these efforts, unfortunately, given the major powers that are lined up in North Korea’s defense; you know who you are! But we nonetheless see merit in continuing to expose human rights violations and to remind negotiators of the underlying issue: the nature of the North Korean regime itself. We take particular pleasure in the continuing exposure of the utterly sycophantic Chosen Soren; thankfully, it is gradually losing support in Japan, in part due to the collapse of several banks purportedly under their control and the sanctions efforts of the Japanese government.
The schedule provides a virtual who's who in the North Korea human rights community.
ICNK Inaugural Conference
Time & Date: 09:15~16:45, September 7, 2011
Place: Conference Room, Meiji University Academy Common Bldg 2nd Floor
(1-1, Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-8301)
Keynote Address:
MP Hwang Woo-yea, Floor Leader, Grand National Party (GNP), Republic of Korea
Video Message:
Kim Young Sam, former President of the Republic of Korea
Hyun Byung Chul, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK)
Session I: Testimonies by Survivors of North Korean Human Rights Abuses: Reality in North Korea, focusing on the Political Prison Camps in North Korea
Speakers:
Kim Tae Jin, President of Democracy Network against North Korean Gulags, former prisoner in the No. 15 Camp in Yoduk, South Hamkyung Province
Kim Hye Suk, former prisoner of No. 18 Camp in Bukchang, South Pyongan Province for 28 years
Jung Gwang Il, a former prisoner in the No. 15 Camp in Yoduk
Charles Robert Jenkins, husband of Japanese abductee Ms. Hitomi Soga
Session II: International NGOs and Lawyers Response: Legal approach on North Korea’s Crimes against Humanity
Speakers:
Jack Rendler, Country Specialist for North Korea, Amnesty International
Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader, Christian Solidarity World (CSW),
Patrick Burgess, Asia Program, International Center for Transitional Justice
Melissa Pack, Senior Counsel, International Justice Programme, The Aegis Trust
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch
Session III: Response from the International Community: International resolutions and measures to stop North Korean Crimes against Humanity
Speakers:
David Hawk, Visiting Scholar, Columbia University, Institute for the Study of Human Rights
a Japanese MP (TBD)
a representative of a European embassy (TBD)
Kim Tae Hoon, Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission Republic of Korea
ICNK Inaugural Press Conference
Time & Date: 15:00~16:00, September 8, 2011
Plase: Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan
Map: http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map | Tel: +81-(0)3-3211-3161 | Address: Yurakucho Denki North Building 20F, Yurakucho 1-7-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Speakers: Tae Keung Ha, President, Open_North Korea (ROK)
Phil Robertson, Asia Deputy Director, Human Rights Watch
Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (UK)
How to attend: None-FCCJ members are required to make reservation by calling FCCJ at 81-(3)-3211-3161.
Protest against Crimes against Humanity Committed by the North’s Regime
Place: In front of CHOSEN-SOREN (General Association of Korean residents in Japan)
Time & Date: 17:00~17:30, September 8, 2011
Topic: As CHOSEN-SOREN plans to hold an eve of festival to commemorate the founding day of North Korea on September 8, the members of ICNK are holding protest confronting the North’s festival.
