North Korea / Human rights violations: New independent expert group on accountability to visit Seoul and Tokyo

Korean | Japanese

GENEVA / SEOUL / TOKYO (18 November 2016) – The recently established group of independent experts on accountability for human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will visit the Republic of Korea from 21 to 25 November, and Japan from 28 to 29 November 2016.

Human rights experts Sonja BISERKO and Sara HOSSAIN will explore appropriate approaches to seek accountability for human rights violations in the DPRK, and recommend practical mechanisms of accountability to secure truth and justice for the victims of possible crimes against humanity in the country.

Following a Human Rights Council resolution, the independent experts were designated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in September 2016 to support the work of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, Tomás OJEA QUINTANA.

The Special Rapporteur will also be in the region in November 2016, and he and the experts will hold a number of joint meetings with relevant stakeholders.

During their mission to the region, the group of independent experts will meet state officials, civil society organizations, academics and experts, as well as victims and their families.

The Special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK will include the report of the group of independent experts on accountability as an annex to his report to the Human Rights Council in March 2017.

ENDS

In March 2016, the Human Rights Council decided to establish a new group of independent experts to explore appropriate approaches to seek accountability for human rights violations in the DPRK, in particular violations amounting to crimes against humanity, and recommend practical mechanisms of accountability to secure truth and justice for victims, including the International Criminal Court. For more information on their mandate, as well as on a call for submissions from interested parties, log on to: http://ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/CountriesMandates/KP/Pages/GroupofIndependentExpertsonAccountability.aspx

Ms. Sonja Biserko (Serbia): Founder and President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia. Founding member of the Centre for Anti-War Action in the Belgrade Forum for International Relations. Senior fellow in the United States Institute of Peace. Received several human rights awards, including the Human Rights Award of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in New York and the Human Rights Award of the University of Oslo. Member of the former commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Ms. Sara Hossain (Bangladesh): Barrister, practicing in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh for over 20 years, with focus on constitutional and public interest litigation, including on freedom of expression, economic and social rights, and gender justice. Ran the South Asia Programme at INTERIGHTS from 1997 to 2003. Served as a Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists, and founder Director of the South Asia Women’s Fund. Recipient of awards, including from the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.

UN Human Rights, country page – DPRK: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/KPIndex.aspx

For additional information and media requests, please contact:
In English: Estelle Askew-Renaut (+41 79 444 5172 / gie-dprk@ohchr.org)
In Korean: YounKyo Ahn (+82 10 4230 3523 / yahn@ohchr.org)
In Japanese: Yu Kanosue (+82 10 2809 3524 / ykanosue@ohchr.org)

OHCHR Seoul office: http://seoul.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/HOME.aspx

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