Introduction
DPRK citizens have the right to freely leave their country, and therefore the information comes from refugees, defectors and others who fled North Korea. Although it is often subjective, based on the large number of refugees posts a number of organizations to draw conclusions about the overall situation in North Korea.
According to the official position of the government of the DPRK, in the country, "there are no problems in the field of human rights", as the socialist system, which exists in the DPRK, "was chosen by its citizens voluntarily and sent on a fully satisfying their material and spiritual needs."
At the same time, by analyzing the available data, many international organizations have concluded that the totalitarian nature of the North Korean state.
Constitution of DRPK and the Violation of Human Rights
The legal system is based on the principles of the DPRK convergence Romano-Germanic and socialist legal systems. The basis of the legal system of the DPRK is the constitution, which has the highest legal force throughout the country. DPRK Constitution guarantees citizens the right to:
- The right to protection - citizen, regardless of his place of residence, under the protection of the DPRK (Article 62).
- Universal suffrage and the right to be elected, regardless of gender, ethnicity, occupation, residence, property status, education level, political views and religion. This right is guaranteed to all citizens who have reached 17 years, except for convicted by a court to deprivation of electoral rights (Article 66).
- Freedom of speech, press, assembly, demonstration and association (Article 67).
- Freedom of conscience (Article 68).
- The right to file complaints and appeals (Article 69).
- Right to work.
- The right to housing.
- The right to rest.
- The right to receive free medical care.
- Right to education.
- Freedom of scientific, literary and artistic activities.
- Freedom to choose their residence and travel.
- Equality between women and maternal and child health.
- Inviolability of the person, home and his correspondence.
In addition, the constitution guarantees the right of the DPRK asylum for foreign nationals who are fighting for peace, democracy, national independence and socialism, freedom of scientific and cultural activities, and persecuted in their countries (Article 80).
In addition, North Korea acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
However, in practice the majority of citizens' constitutional rights are violated.
Political system and social system of the DPRK are subjected to severe criticism in the field of human rights by the international community and human rights organizations based in Western countries. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has officially acknowledged the widespread human rights violations in North Korea. Quotes from the UN Resolution on Human Rights 2005/11 relating to the DPRK:
Torture and other cruel inhuman or degrading treatment of people types including used as a punishment, public executions extra urgent imprisonment lack of judicial process and the rule of law the death penalty for political affairs the existence of a large number of prison camps and the extensive use of forced labor.
Punishment of former DPRK citizens abroad: consideration of their departure as treason prisoners to torture or to cruel or degrading treatment or the death penalty.
Universal severe restrictions on freedom of thought conscience religious words of peaceful assembly and association access to information and restrictions imposed on the people who want to move freely within the country or leave it.
Continued violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, especially in the area of trafficking in women for prostitution or forced marriage including ethnically motivated abortions as the killing of children of repatriated mothers.
Some experts believe that the Constitution of the DPRK - a fictitious document and that in North Korea relations between society and the state built on the totalitarian model. Attempts were made to North Korea denounced the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but after the announcement of the Committee on Human Rights that the pact is not subject to denunciation submitted a report on its implementation thus recognizing herself as a state party to the Covenant.
Reaction of the World Society on Human Rights Violation in DRPK
In April 2014 the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea, Marzuki Darusman expressed concern about the fate of political prisoners in North Korea and urged the authorities to immediately close the camps and release the prisoners.
This UN expert said at a press conference following his visit to Japan, where he met with officials of the country, families who fled from the North Korean regime, civil society representatives.
According to information available to the Special Rapporteur, in North Korean prison camps contains from 80 thousand to 120 thousand political prisoners.
Marzuki Darusman said that next week he and his colleagues from the Independent Commission to investigate human rights violations in North Korea are planning to present their work to members of the Security Council. An informal meeting will be held in the framework of the so-called "Arria Formula", which provides part in informal discussions persons as "media."
North Korea rejected and called "fabrication" a report to the UN Commission to investigate violations of human rights in the country. He was represented at the session in Geneva Human Rights Council.
According to the North Korean representative to the Council, the data contained in the report are based on the testimony of criminals and traitors who escaped from North Korea. The Commission's report describes "the systematic, widespread and grave human rights violations, including crimes against humanity."
Speaking at a meeting of the UN Council on Human Rights in Geneva, the head of the Commission Michael Kirby stressed that North Korea carried out systematically all forms of gross violation of human rights adopted in the civilized world:
"The severity, extent, duration and nature of the heinous atrocities committed in the country, according to a totalitarian state, which has no analogue in the world today."
The report emphasizes the killings, enslavement, torture, rape, forced abortion and other sexual crimes are part of a policy set at the highest level in the DPRK. China also rejected the conclusions contained in the report of the Commission.
Recommendations
In my opinion the most effective recommendations for improving the human rights situation in the DPRK are the following.
The first recommendation is to the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against its own people in North Korea. Only the pressure of the international community to the DPRK government and funding humanitarian programs for the public and informing the public about the real issues can help to improve the human rights situation in North Korea.
The second recommendation is to citizens. Life in a totalitarian society does not leave the public the right to disagree with the policies of the regime. In this regard, the most effective recommendation may be emigration to South Korea - legally or illegally, to the extent possible. In South Korea, a program of support for refugees from North Korea.
The third recommendation is for the government. Experience of totalitarian countries of the 20th century shows that sooner or later, any "empire" is collapsing: the fall of Hitler's Germany, the execution of Ceausescu in Romania, finally, the collapse of the Soviet Union. Government must understand that the day will come when you have to answer for their crimes against humanity. So now you need to think seriously about alleviating pressure on human rights and the gradual liberalization of domestic policy.
Works Cited
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
"North Korea", World Watchlist, 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
Haggard, Stephen; Noland, Marcus (2005). Hunger and Human Rights: The Politics of Famine in North Korea. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. ISBN 0-9771-1110-5.
