Media Events in Washington DC, 30 October-1 November 2013

MEDIA ADVISORY

28 October 2013

• PUBLIC HEARINGS: The UN-mandated commission investigating the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will hold public hearings on Wednesday and Thursday, 30 and 31 October.
  
  The hearings will take place from 1:45 pm to 6 pm on Wednesday, 30 October and from 8:30 am to 3:45 pm on Thursday, 31 October. 

The hearings will take place at the Kenney Auditorium on the campus of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) - 1740 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

The public hearings are aimed at gathering information from witnesses on rights violations alleged to have occurred in the DPRK in line with the mandate given to the Commission of Inquiry by the UN Human Rights Council.

Issues to be covered during the public hearings include human rights and politics, gender-based violence, refugees, the situation of prison camps, access to food and the responsibility to protect.

All media (TV radio, press) are able to cover the hearings in their entirety. 

For further information on how to attend these hearings, please refer to SAIS media note - http://uskoreainstitute.org/2013/10/22/coi1031/

• PRESS CONFERENCE: Commission members Michael Kirby (Chairperson), Marzuki Darusman and Sonja Biserko, will hold a press conference following the completion of the hearings.

The press conference will take place on Friday, 1 November at the National Press Club at 10:30 am at the Club’s Zenger Room located on the 13th Floor of the National Press Building at 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20045.

The press conference is open to all credentialed media and National Press Club members. No registration is necessary.

In addition to the public hearings, the Commission members will meet with senior US government officials, representatives of non-governmental organisations, and experts with knowledge about the human rights situation in the DPRK.

UN Media contacts:
Christine Chung, cchung@ohchr.org
UN Information Centre in Washington DC, +1 202 331 8670
Media requests can also be sent through to coidprkmedia@ohchr.org