GENEVA / DPRK HRC

The Human Rights Commission asked the General Assembly to refer the human rights situation in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the Security Council  for possible referral to international criminal justice tribunals. CH UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:16
• Production Date: 28 March 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR; UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL - UNHRC
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
• MAMS Id: U140328e

Description

STORY: GENEVA / DPRK HRC
TRT: 2.06
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 28 MARCH 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations

28 MARCH 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, Human Rights Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Takashi Okada, Permanent Representative of Japan:
"Japan remains deeply concerned with the long-standing and on-going systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea which were documented in detail in the report of the Commission of Inquiry. The report of the Commission of Inquiry submitted to this Council prior to this session underlines that these violations in many instances constitute crimes against humanity, and at the impunity of the perpetrators."
4. Med shot, European Union delegation
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Takashi Okada, Permanent Representative of Japan:
"Japan strongly believes that it is a duty of the international community, including the UN to respond to the report in order to urgently address the situation."
6. Med shot, conference room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) So Se Pyong, Permanent Representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea:
"My delegation categorically and resolutely rejects the draft resolution L.17 entitled "Human Rights Situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, submitted by the EU and Japan. The EU and Japan have turned this sacred Human Rights Council into a stage of political confrontation by enforcing the submission of the draft resolution in defiance of the demand of a country for genuine dialogue and cooperation."
8. Med shot, US delegation
9. SOUNDBITE (English) So Se Pyong, Permanent Representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea:
"The anti- DPRK human rights clamour which is now being escalated by the United States and other hostile forces far beyond the limit based on the ground of fabrications is motivated entirely by the intention of daring to undermine the ideology of the DPRK and eliminate its social system."
10. Wide shot, room
11. Pan right, voting board

Storyline

The Human Rights Commission today (28 March) asked the General Assembly to refer the human rights situation in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the Security Council for possible referral to international criminal justice tribunals.

The recommendation came in a resolution supported by 30 of the Council's members and opposed by six, with eleven countries abstaining.

Submitted by the European Union and Japan, the resolution is a follow-up to a report prepared by a Council-appointed Commission of Inquiry.

Introducing the resolution, Takashi Okada of Japan said his country remained deeply concerned about the long-standing, ongoing, systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations in the DPRK, which had been documented in detail in the Commission of Inquiry's report.

He recalled that the report underlined that in many instances, the violations constituted crimes against humanity, and that the perpetrators remained unpunished.

Okada said Japan strongly believed that the international community, including the UN was duty bound to respond to the report in order to urgently address the situation.

The report includes a recommendation for the General Assembly to submit the inquiry body's report to the Security Council for its consideration and appropriate action. That action, the resolution suggested, should include referring the matter to the appropriate criminal justice mechanism.

So See Pyong of the DPRK categorically and resolutely rejected the draft resolution. He accused the European Union and Japan of turning the Human Rights Council into a stage of political confrontation, by submitting a resolution in defiance of the country's demand for genuine dialogue.

So said his country was the victim of a "human rights clamour" escalated by the United States and other hostile forces. The clamour was based on fabrications aimed at undermining the DPRK's ideology and eliminating its social system.