SUB-COMMISSION BEGINS CONSIDERATION OF WOMEN AND HUMAN RIGHTS; CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF SLAVERY; AND TERRORISM

Sub-Commission on the Promotion
and Protection of Human Rights
55th session
30 July 2003
Afternoon



Sub-Commission Expert Reports on Issues and Modalities
for Effective Universality of International Human Rights Treaties



The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights began this afternoon its consideration of specific human rights issues, including women and human rights; contemporary forms of slavery; and new priorities, in particular terrorism, hearing addresses by 14 non-governmental organizations on specific issues of concern. A Sub-Commission Expert introduced his report on modalities for the effective implementation of human rights treaties.

Emmanuel Decaux, Sub-Commission Expert, introduced his report - which was not yet available - on issues and modalities for the effective universality of international human rights treaties. He stressed that it was not enough to congratulate oneself on the ratifications of international humanitarian law instruments. One must enter into a constructive dialogue with those States that had not yet ratified these laws. It was particularly telling that more than 200 ratifications were required to reach the universal ratification of the main six international humanitarian legal instruments, and that more than two-thirds of non-ratifications were concentrated in about 30 States.

Non-governmental organizations addressed issues related to women, contemporary forms of slavery, terrorism, as well as new priorities such as the use of depleted uranium. Concerning women and human rights, speakers highlighted countries where women’s human rights were being violated. They urged the Sub-Commission to take decisive action to protect, prevent and address violations related to systematic rape as a tool used in armed conflicts, including historical offences such as that of “comfort women”; trafficking of women and girls, honour killings, and sexual slavery. A representative of the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children in Africa said that in order to eradicate the problem of harmful traditional practices against women – and their devastating effects on millions of women – it was essential to attack the mindset and attitudes that still influenced society and decision-makers.

Much attention was also focused upon the scourge of terrorism, particularly within the context of the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Speakers stressed that terrorism and State terrorism affected all societies and undermined core values of peace and tolerance. It was pointed out that in order to combat terrorism, the international community must agree on a definition of the term “terrorism”. A representative of the World Muslim Congress stressed the need to look at root causes of terrorism, whilst a representative of the Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization said that terrorism had no root cause and was in itself the root cause of human rights violations, triggering off an endless cycle of violence and counter-violence.

The following Sub-Commission Experts spoke this afternoon: Yozo Yokota, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and Asbjorn Eide.

Exercising their right of reply under the agenda item on the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all countries were representatives of the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea, Japan and Sudan.

The following non-governmental organizations addressed the Sub-Commission: International Educational Development, Inc; Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children speaking on behalf of International Movement for Fraternal Union Among Races and Peoples; Association for World Education; International Federation of University Women speaking on behalf of International Council of Women and Femmes Africa Solidarité; Franciscans International speaking on behalf of Dominicans for Justice and Peace; World Organization Against Torture; Japan Fellowship of Reconciliation; International Association of Democratic Lawyers; World Muslim Congress; Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization; International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations; Pax Romana; American Association of Jurists; and International Institute for Peace.

The Sub-Commission will reconvene tomorrow at 10 a.m. to continue its consideration of specific human rights issues.


Documents

Under this agenda item, before the Sub-Commission there is a note by the Secretary-General (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/25) on specific human rights issues, where he informs the Sub-Commission on the status of the international covenants on human rights; the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination; the Convention against Torture, the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the effective implementation of international instruments on human rights, including reporting obligations of States Parties to the United Nations instruments in the field of human rights; and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

There is a report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Prevention of the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/26), which contains replies received from Governments and replies received from non-governmental organizations on this matter.

There is a report of the High Commissioner on systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/27). The report refers to new developments in the activities of human rights mechanisms and in international criminal, human rights and humanitarian law on the issue of systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices in situations of armed conflict. The report states that armed conflicts exacerbate discrimination and violence directed at women and most past and recent internal, international and ethnic-based conflicts have illustrated this fact. Rape and other sexual violence against women and girls have been used with impunity as a weapon of war to intimidate and terrorize the target population. The report also contains sections on the work of the human rights mechanisms in this field, United Nations support to transitional justice, and the developments in international criminal, human rights and humanitarian law. The report recommends that conventional and extra-conventional human rights mechanisms should continue to strengthen their consideration of all gender-based violations of human rights. To end the cycle of violence, the equal rights of women to participate in the economic, social, political and cultural life of their societies must be promoted and protected. Without the full equality and participation of women, the empowerment of women, allowing women to develop confidence and respect for themselves and enabling them to realize their full potential, and acknowledging the full value of the contribution they make to the well-being, security and progress of society, and measures taken to prevent the systematic rape and enslavement of women during armed conflicts will ultimately be doomed to failure.


Right of Reply on the Question of the Violation of Human Rights in All Countries

Speaking in a right of reply, a representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said that with regard to the statement made by Mr. Yakota with regard to the alleged abductions, most of the people involved came to the country from their own free will. It was well known that Japan during its occupation of Korea had caused immense suffering to the people of that area, as well as a vast number of deaths. However, Japan still refused to disclose the levels of the crime committed against that people, or compensate for it. Human rights and humanitarian issues should not be politicised or used for triggering or inciting confrontations between Governments. It was hoped that the upcoming meeting between the two sides would resolve this issue and others. The allegations made by Mr. Park were also categorically rejected and had nothing to do with human rights and he should get rid of his anachronistic mentality.

YOZO YOKOTA, Sub-Commission Expert, stressed the need for Experts to be able to express themselves freely. It had been stated that the people he had said were abducted had actually come from their own free will. Such cases had not been recorded amongst the evidence and this claim appeared unfounded. With regards to Japanese actions during the Second World War, one must not point fingers in order to defend one's own actions. Clarifying the situation of the abducted people and their safe return, and settling all issues involved, was the best way to start to establish good will and a strong relationship between Japan and the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea.

In a right to reply, a representative of Japan said that having heard the remarks of the delegate of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a response was compelled in order to correct some of the factual misrepresentations contained in the remarks regarding the abduction of Japanese citizens. It had been most surprising to hear that these incidents had been described as taking place under the own will of the victims, which was totally incorrect. These were systemic and grave violations of human rights in the form of abductions, and this was sufficiently corroborated by witnesses and evidence. A lot of work remained to be done to end this travesty. The problem could hardly be declared as resolved.

A representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, speaking in a second right of reply, said regarding the issue of free will that most of the allegedly abducted persons had come to his country out of their own free will. Furthermore, Japan’s past crimes could not be taken out of the equation when discussing the relationship between the two countries. There were five people currently forcibly detained in Japan, and they were now prevented from returning home – a breach of the agreements made on this issue.

A representative of Sudan, exercising a right to reply, said Sudan’s commitment vis a vis the respect of human rights was fundamental, and was based on both international commitments and basic elements of Sudanese society. The abuses in Sudan were attributed to the armed forces, and based on this, the Government of Sudan had sought peace. The Government had recently decided to abolish the special courts mentioned by the non-governmental organization and to install judges who were not subject to the military in any way. The death sentence, as far as juveniles were concerned, was strictly prohibited by the Constitution.

A representative of Japan, speaking in a second right of reply, said that the way that this case had been described as voluntary and the reference to the five persons in Japan was strange and comic. A questionnaire had been handed out on these cases which had remained an ignored mystery. The Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was urged to respond to this questionnaire in order to resolve this situation.


Statements on Specific Human Rights Issues, Including Women and Human Rights, Contemporary Forms of Slavery, and New Priorities, in Particular Terrorism

EMMANUEL DECAUX, Sub-Commission Expert, presenting the report on the issues and modalities for the effective universality of international human rights treaties, (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/37, which was not immediately available), said that his intent in presenting this issue was to make of the Sub-Commission a modest actor but an important one in the field of international humanitarian law. This essential subject appeared to have fallen by the way side, and was barely a current issue. The issue was, however, of great relevance. It was not enough to congratulate oneself on the ratifications of international humanitarian law when they took effect on the international or domestic level, but there was a need to examine the issue from the other side. There was a need to enter into a constructive dialogue with those States who had not yet ratified these laws.

The study noted that more than 200 ratifications were required to reach the universal ratification of the main six international humanitarian legal instruments, and that more than two-thirds of the non-ratifications were concentrated in about 30 States. The Sub-Commission was also in a good place to note that there were some “orphan conventions”, which were without follow-up mechanisms and needed constant impetus behind them to achieve anything. There was a need to launch a constructive dialogue between States on legal, political, social or other difficulties encountered when ratifying, interpreting, and applying treaties in order to ensure universality for all.

The Sub-Commission had one particular advantage in this respect, in that it was neither judge, nor party, as were conventional organs. It was therefore indispensable that the Sub-Commission participate fully in the reflections on the future of the international system for protecting human rights. The issue of the ratification of these universal treaties was thus at the intersection of the legal orders of the Sub-Commission and was at the heart of the issue.


PAULO SERGIO PINHEIRO, Sub-Commission Expert, endorsed the propositions made by Emmanuel Decaux, which would infuse further dynamism into the work of the Sub-Commission. When a State ratified a convention, it was not just to have its name down amongst other States, but to protect the victims of human rights violations. Another relevant suggestion had been with respect to the agenda, in order to make it count with regards to the current international human rights agenda.

KAREN PARKER, of International Educational Development, Inc.,raised the issue of weaponry containing depleted uranium. Depleted uranium weaponry was illegal because it failed the basic four-point test for all weapons. The use of such weapons in armed conflict was incompatible with existing norms. The report of Mr. Sik Yuen on this topic had stated the rule that the use of weapons must be in proportion to the legitimate military objectives. This was important because even “legal” weapons might be used illegally. It was a matter of concern that the United States defended these “arm chair war” weapons because their use avoided the need for United States ground troops. The United States could now carry out “pre-emptive” war from home. Many studies on depleted uranium verified the devastating, long-term effects of the use of depleted uranium weapons. The Sub-Commission was urged to request Mr. Sik Yuen to continue his important work on illegal weapons by authorizing an additional follow up paper.

Concerning certain child abduction cases meeting the international definition of slavery, it was worrying that the United States did little to help its own citizens in the situation of American girls being abducted to Saudi Arabia by their fathers. These girls were often abducted by their fathers, hidden in family compounds, frequently sexually abused by male relatives and forcibly married. The Sub-Commission must endorse any recommendation made by the Working Group on this issue on ways to address child abduction slavery cases and enforced or underage marriages.

Berhane RASWORK, of Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children, speaking on behalf of International Movement for Fraternal Union Among Races and Peoples, said the reports of the Sub-Commission, which were prepared under great constraints, demonstrated the extent of the problem of harmful traditional practices and their devastating consequences on the human rights of millions of women. Despite the seriousness of these forms of violations of human rights, long-lived attitudes and practices still influenced the reaction of Governments in responding to this hard reality. Progress reports were slow in coming if at all, and measures taken to redress the situation were few and not effective enough.

DAVID LITTMAN, of Association for World Education, addressed the report on issues and modalities for the effective universality of international human rights treaties, saying a global consensus had been strengthened around the universality and the irreducibility of human rights, and that an adequate national protection system was one in which international human rights norms were reflected in the national Constitution and in national legislation.

In this connection, a General Comment by the Human Rights Committee at its forty-eighth session had declared: “the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is far-reaching and profound”. The Committee therefore viewed with concern any tendency to discriminate against any religion or belief for any reason, including the fact that they were newly established, or represented religious minorities that might be the subject of hostility on the part of a predominant religious community. Article 18 distinguished the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief from the freedom to manifest religion or belief. It did not permit any limitations whatsoever on the freedom of thought and conscience or on the freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of one’s choice. These freedoms were protected unconditionally, as was the right of everyone to hold opinions without interference. However, twenty years later, the situation was alarming. The suffering of Muslims who adopted another belief must be addressed. This situation must not be ignored by the United Nations Secretary-General, nor the Commission and the Sub-Commission, nor by Special Rapporteurs. The Sub-Commission must take action on this issue through an appropriate resolution.

Conchita PONCINI, of International Federation of University Women, speaking on behalf of International Council of Women, said any injustice to humanity was an injustice to women as half of the population, but injustice or discrimination against women emanated from social relations, culture and unilateral beliefs which had placed special constraints on the advancement of women’s rights. Progress had been noteworthy in national legislation and international standards, but it was cultural relativism that had been the most difficult obstacle to overcome. There were new and emerging trends and issues which were threats to global peace and security, notably HIV/AIDS and its feminisation, trafficking in women and girls, biogenetics, gender based demographic developments, and others.

ALESSANDRA AULA, of Franciscans International speaking on behalf of Dominicans for Justice and Peace, said all countries should work for the universal ratification and the full implementation of all articles of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. The Sub-Commission should call upon Governments to criminalise trafficking in human beings in all its forms and to condemn and penalise traffickers and intermediaries while ensuring protection and assistance to the victims of trafficking with full respect for their human rights. States should also be encouraged to devise, enforce and strengthen effective measures at the national, regional and international levels to prevent, combat and eliminate all forms of trafficking through comprehensive anti-trafficking strategies, and should develop national plans of action to end trafficking.

PAULO SERGIO PINHEIRO, Sub-Commission Expert, saluted the suggestions made by the Franciscans and noted that the Sub-Commission's meeting was an excellent opportunity for the Member States to report upon such issues and tell the Sub-Commission what was being done in this context.

LUCINDA O'HANLON, of World Organization Against Torture, said in the past years, the treaty bodies and Charter-based mechanisms had made encouraging progress in integrating the human rights of women into their mandates; nevertheless, much work remained to be done to ensure that gender was effectively integrated into the United Nations human rights system. Violence and other serious human rights violations related to trafficking in women and girls had, in recent years, become a subject of concern for Governments, inter-governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations. However, it continued to be a growing problem across the world. Further, women and girls continued to be subject to “honour” crimes which were either supported or approved by States, and there was concern for women in several countries for this cause. There were also an enormous number of reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and this impeded its effectiveness and demonstrated an unwillingness on the part of States to fully guarantee women’s rights in all spheres of life.

ETSURO TOTSUKA, of Japan Fellowship of Reconciliation, highlighted issues related to contemporary forms of slavery and welcomed the report of the High Commissioner on systematic rape and sexual slavery during armed conflict. Work on these issues must be continued by the Sub-Commission. Violence against women during armed conflicts was widespread. The tenth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration had provided an excellent opportunity to assess progress and remaining challenges in the prevention of violence against women. Perpetrators of violence against women must face punishment and must be held accountable for their actions. Although international law was clear on women and human rights, the implementation on a national level needed improvement. The slow implementation on national levels was mainly due to the prevalence of impunity and the lack of redress within the judiciary. The practice of the Japanese army to keep comfort women had already been established, however the crimes had been undertaken with impunity and without any compensation. It was important to note the efforts being made within Japanese legislature, since the provision of compensation and a State apology were essential. It was important for the High Commissioner to focus on initiatives undertaken within the legislature of all countries, including domestic implementation of laws related to women and human rights.

TATSUO SHIMABUKURO, of International Association of Democratic Lawyers, expressed appreciation for the serious discussions of the Sub-Commission on the issue of the military comfort women. It was hoped that the Sub-Commission would further develop discussions on the unsolved questions related to this issue. In its 15-year war of aggression that ended in 1945, the Japanese imperial Government had committed all sorts of war crimes involving human rights violations and destruction against countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Those crimes included the Nanking massacre, experiments on living human beings by its germ warfare unit 731, the use of sex slaves called military comfort women, forced labor imposed on residents, and the abuse of prisoners of war. The Japanese war of aggression took the lives of 20 million people in the region as well as 3.1 million Japanese citizens. In complete disregard of its historical war crimes against humanity, the Japanese Government has consistently rejected all demands for post-war compensation. The issue of post-war compensation was not just a matter of the past; it was relevant today. The Sub-Commission was requested to urge the Japanese Government to take action to settle the problem of post-war compensation for all who had fallen victim to the war of aggression.

Tabassum AMIN, of World Muslim Congress, said the Kashmiri women had suffered the brunt of the brutal Indian repression and massive human rights violations and were faced with multiple challenges. Over 9,000 Kashmiri women had been raped and many thousands molested, and their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers had either been killed or gone missing. Over 20,000 Kashmiri women had been widowed during this conflict. The Sub-Commission and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women were once again urged to examine the situation of Kashmiri women in a study. This was the least that could be done by the international community to help the Kashmiri women who were victims of gross violations, with a view to prevent such abuses. The scourge of terrorism affected all human societies and undermined core values of peace, tolerance and material achievements. Despite its overwhelming concern, the international community had not been able to agree on a definition of terrorism. Countries like India had demonstrated no flexibility on the issues of root causes of terrorism. India was also amongst the leading countries that had vehemently opposed the freedom struggles to be viewed as such. The Sub-Commission must examine the Indian policy towards international law and its position on the issue of terrorism. Its claims to be a victim of terrorism needed to be analyzed as it was not a victim, but instead the largest sponsor of State terrorism in the world.

TAHIR NASEEM MANHAS, of Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization, said it was fit and appropriate that in its examination of new priorities, the Sub-Commission focused in particular on the issue of terrorism which had been the subject of extensive debate and discussion at many other fora, both within and outside the United Nations system. Some argued that despite decades of debate, the international community was still to agree on the definition of the expression “terrorism” and, hence, discussing its human rights dimension was somewhat futile. This was a fallacy and to accept such an argument at face value would be to fall into the trap of those who wished to pursue their hidden agenda of death and destruction from behind a veil of semantics and obfuscation. For the past fifty-five years, Pakistan had tried every trick in the book to grab Kashmir by force. It had now resorted to a long drawn out proxy-war of subversion and terrorism since the late 1980s by callously exploiting feelings of alienation among certain sections of the Kashmiri youth over the imperfections of Indian democracy; a system that, for all its faults, was infinitely better that the military dictatorships that had ruled Pakistan for most of its existence. Contrary to the specious argument put forward by its proponents, terrorism had no root causes. It was in itself the root cause of human rights violations by triggering off an endless cycle of violence and counter-violence. That must be the central message from the Sub-Commission if it was to discharge its responsibility of promoting and protecting human rights in a meaningful manner.

PAULO SERGIO PINHEIRO, Sub-Commission Expert, said that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should take account of the fact that the Sub-Commission had changed, not because it wanted to, but because the Commission had asked it to, and therefore it had no way of intervening in specific cases, and could not make mention of specific cases in resolutions. NGOs should therefore try to help so that the Sub-Commission could act upon the suggestions made, and should help the Sub-Commission to take action and respond to the suggestions made. Civil society organs and NGOs should make an effort to ensure that the Sub-Commission remained a living body.

SHAMIN SHAWL, of International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations, said terrorism was the hottest issue in the world today, although it was not a new phenomenon and had always been used by those who did not recognise differences of opinion nor the legitimate rights of others. There were individuals, groups and even States who had used terrorism to rob others of their right to life and other civil and political rights, especially the right to self-determination. The Kashmiri freedom movement was indigenous and was supported by the entire Kashmiri population. India was using terrorism to deprive the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their inalienable right to self-determination. The international community should not confuse the Kashmiri right to self-defence with terrorism. Defence and realisation of basic rights was a noble cause, which required international support and protection.

FAITH AMURAO, of Pax Romana, said the Sub-Commission's agenda should include consideration of the right to self-determination, which was necessary after having been sidelined for almost 25 years. Globalization was challenging traditional ways of living, and the right to self-determination was under threat for this reason. Several efforts to reframe self-determination had been proposed, and it should be recast as a right of peoples to renegotiate their status within a State, among other things. The United Nations needed to reassert itself in this area so as to retrieve its role as the world’s premier human rights body. No treaty body monitored the work of States to protect and promote the right of peoples to self-determination as they had agreed when signing international instruments and covenants. Special mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights provided advice to Governments, non-Governmental actors and others, but never on self-determination. The Working Group on Minorities was ill equipped for this task, and another body was required. While it was a main duty of States to realise the right of peoples to self-determination, the United Nations human rights machinery needed to advance towards improving the global right of people to exercise their right to self-determination.

Diana Patricia SANCHEZ LARA, of American Association of Jurists, said following the 11 September events and in seeking to struggle against terrorism, there had been a huge deterioration in guarantees of civil and human rights in many States, under the pretext of better defending human rights and human lives. If this were the case, then why was State terrorism not combated, especially State terrorism attributed to other States. Latin American peoples had experienced decades of State terrorism, with the consequence of the loss of thousands of lives. The United States had collaborated with State and Government terrorism in Latin America, and this was a situation of international State terrorism. This form of international State terrorism was part of the United States' military doctrine, and was used on a large scale, also by bombing populations into submission, for example in Iraq and Viet Nam. State terrorism was a crime, yet it was not covered by international conventions on terrorism, and so far all attempts to achieve an international definition of terrorism had failed.


Tatiana CHAOUMIAN, of International Institute for Peace, said sustained terrorist activity required the existence of a conducive hinterland which served not only as a sanctuary but as a recruiting ground for terrorist groups. Any international campaign to eradicate the evil of terrorism, which had emerged as one of the foremost violators of the human rights of citizens, could not succeed until a cleansing of the hinterland took place. For obvious reasons, nations that had used terrorism as an instrument of state policy were hardly likely to admit their complicity in this horrendous activity. Pakistan over the years had deliberately followed a policy of permitting its soil to be converted into not just a refuge and a sanctuary but as a breeding ground for groups committed to the ideology of violence. The tentacles of terrorism, which could have been born in Pakistan as a consequence of Pakistan’s animosity towards India, today reached far and wide. It was therefore a matter of concern that those leading the international campaign against terrorism were turning a blind eye towards this, thus not just weakening the international campaign against terrorism but also inflicting continuing damage on Pakistan’s polity and people.

Asbjørn Eide, Sub-Commission Expert, commented on and endorsed the paper and the proposal of Sub-Commission Expert Emmanuel Decaux, and referred to a study on whether there was a change in human rights behaviour before and after ratification. The results were rather disappointing. There was greater likelihood of effective implementation if the constitutional process was effective and participatory. Another impact on implementation levels was the existence of national human rights bodies. These points could be useful in looking at the effectiveness of ratification.


CORRIGENDUM
In press release HR/SC/03/5 of 30 July, 2003, the right of reply by Japan on page 3 should read as follows:
In a right to reply, a representative of Japan said that having heard the remarks of the delegate of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a response was compelled in order to correct some of the factual misrepresentations contained in the remarks regarding the abduction of Japanese citizens. It had been most surprising to hear that these incidents had been described as taking place under the own will of the victims, which was totally incorrect. These were systemic and grave violations of human rights in the form of abductions, and this was sufficiently corroborated by witnesses and evidence. There was still a long way to go before a true solution to this tragedy was found. The information provided so far by the DPRK was far from satisfactory, especially on those victims claimed to be dead. The evidence produced was unclear, contrived and was lacking in credibility.
A second right of reply by Japan on page 4 should read as follows:
A representative of Japan, speaking in a second right of reply, said that the way that this case had been described as voluntary and the reference to the five persons in Japan was strange and comic. The 150 questions submitted to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by families of the victims remained unanswered. Japan urged the DPRK to disclose all relevant information and to cooperate fully with the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances and to testify faithfully to the Working Group and to the outside world with respect to those still missing and unaccounted for. Japan called upon the DPRK to ensure the safety of their families still remaining in Pyongyang and their prompt repatriation to Japan.





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