Assignment 1: U.N. Human Rights Council voted to demand justice by Jiu Hui (5), Si Yun (8) 4C

Summary:The U.N. Human Rights Council voted to demand justice for Nazi-style atrocities in North Korea.

U.N. human rights investigators said last month security chiefs and possibly Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un himself should be tried for ordering systematic torture, starvation and killings, saying the crimes were "strikingly similar" to those committed during World War Two. There was an overwhelming amount of evidence that North Korea was violating these human rights hence the Council could not remain silent and had to confront North Korea. The U.N. Security Council and the General Assembly need to bring North Korea's leaders to justice for their human rights crimes, however Western and Asian powers concede that for now their chances of holding North Korea liable for crimes against humanity are slim because North Korea can only be referred to the International Criminal Court by the U.N. Security Council, whose veto-wielding members China and Russia both voted against the motion to bring them to justice.

The U.N. Human Rights Council also extended the mandate of its investigator on North Korea by one year and agreed to set up a field office to help him collect more evidence about allegations including that up to 120,000 people are held in political prison camps even though North Korea denies existence of the camps. This is in hopes of getting enough evidence to take action against North Korea.  

Reader's response: 

I agree that they have the right to do this. According to the passage, U.N. human rights investigators said last month security chiefs and possibly Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un himself should be tried for ordering systematic torture, starvation and killings, saying the crimes were "strikingly similar" to those committed during World War Two. "Human rights must take center stage at the U.N. Security Council when it considers peace and security in the Korean Peninsula," Roseann Rife, of Amnesty International, said. Human rights are clearly being violated in North Korea, such as torture and starvation of humans. Beyond their disputed nuclear programs, more emphasis should also be placed on this breach of human rights. North Korea has violated several human rights in the Universal Declaration of human rights, such as 1) we are all born free and equal, 3) the right to life, 4) no slavery, 5) no torture and many more. If the United Nations does not deal with these infamous infringements of human rights by North Korea, it would only lead to a worsen of the human rights infringements, further impacting future generations negatively. The United Nations is present to ensure human rights are protected, and thus has the authority to want scrutiny of North Korea to be widened beyond its disputed nuclear program. Thus, I agree that human rights activists have the rights to lobby for scrutiny of North Korea to be widened beyond its disputed nuclear program.