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	People starving in North Korea as Government conducts nuclear military tests by Elizabeth Salmon Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea   Mar. 2023   The Government of the DPRK needs to take measures to provide food to those in need, as people starve. (OHCHR)   Unprecedented self-isolation imposed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated the suffering of its people, a UN expert warned.   In a report to the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Elizabeth Salmon, urged the international community to pay urgent attention to the people's deteriorating access to food, medicine and health care in the country.   "People froze to death during the cold spell in January this year," Salmon said. "People had no money to heat their homes or they were even forced to live on the streets because they had sold their house as a last resort."   The UN expert recalled that in response to COVID-19, the DPRK introduced international border control measures in January 2020. Since then, most international staff from the UN, humanitarian agencies and diplomatic missions have been unable to return to the country. She also noted that the number of escapees arriving in the Republic of Korea had decreased significantly.   “I am seriously concerned about the impact of three years of border closures on the people of the DPRK," she said, "especially women working in informal markets, people living in poverty, the elderly, the homeless and kkotjebi (homeless children).”   The Special Rapporteur warned that violence against women, already rampant, could worsen as women lose economic power. "Women have lost the means to provide for their families as market activities have dramatically declined," she said, adding that the international community has been unable to provide humanitarian assistance.   The expert urged the Government of the DPRK to take measures to provide food to those most in need and to seek assistance from the international community to fulfil the fundamental right of all people to be free from hunger.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/03/north-koreas-unparalleled-self-isolation-must-cease-un-expert   Mar. 2023   Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.   The Korean Peninsula witnessed increased security tensions in 2022. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continued its missile programmes, including the record high number of testing of intercontinental and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The United States and the Republic of Korea also carried out several regular and specialized land, sea and air military exercises.   On 8 September, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea amended its law on Nuclear Forces allowing for automatic nuclear strikes in case of the absence of the command-and-control system following an attack.   There has been no progress with the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, with talks now stalled for nearly three years. Despite the increased tensions amid missile tests and military drills, both the Republic of Korea and the United States continue to reiterate that they are ready to talk with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea without preconditions.   The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has stated that hostile policies against it must stop. The near complete isolation of the country combined with a lack of consensus at the UN Security Council and increased military posturing has prevented any meaningful progress on establishing peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.   The Special Rapporteur is concerned that with the current tensions and lack of functioning communication channels with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, any security misstep could trigger significant escalation with drastic consequences for human rights, including the right to life.   The Special Rapporteur urges all parties to ensure the revival of diplomatic engagement, while highlighting that sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula can only be achieved if human rights are central to any diplomatic processes.   COVID-19 quarantine restrictions and its human rights implications   The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been in near complete isolation from the international community for the past three years, and there are no clear indications as to when it will reopen its borders and re-engage. United Nations officials, humanitarian agencies and most of the international staff of the diplomatic missions have not been able to return to the country due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.   In January 2023, a five-day lockdown was imposed in Pyongyang reportedly due to increasing cases of respiratory illness. In October 2022, the country reportedly administered two doses of the vaccine to its population aged 17 to 65 years old. Vaccination was prioritized for people living in Pyongyang and in regions bordering China. The country has not accepted any vaccines under the COVAX facility. In June 2022, Gavi, the vaccine alliance, reported that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had accepted an offer of vaccines from China.   The Special Rapporteur is concerned that the prolonged COVID-19 border restrictions have forced the already vulnerable population including women and girls - who had limited access to food, medicines, healthcare and livelihoods - to the brink. Access to food, medicines and health care remains a priority concern for the Special Rapporteur.   It was estimated that by the end of 2021, 60 per cent of the population was food insecure as compared to 40 per cent prior to the pandemic. From 2019 to 2021, 41.6 % of the population suffered from malnourishment.   Reports suggested that people can only afford to eat one meal a day, and that eating three meals a day has become a luxury for most families. The Special Rapporteur has received reports of people dying from hunger during the period of COVID-19 restrictions, and of homeless people dying during cold spells.   There have been reports of sharp spikes in food prices during the past year, including corn and cooking oil, with rural areas particularly vulnerable to disruptions of supply chains. Reportedly this year's harvest is likely to decrease compared to previous years due to extreme drought, heavy rains, lack of agricultural inputs and fertilizers, and disruptions to farming caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in May 2022.   Since 2021, the Workers Party of Korea, which is the ruling party, has discussed the food crisis and agricultural problems several times, suggesting the seriousness of the food situation in the country. Reportedly, the Government has been intervening in the market to control food prices and has provided limited subsidized grain through the public distribution system to those in dire need.   Reports were also received that, recently, the Government had reduced its daily food rations per soldier from the previous 620 grams to 580 grams, pointing to shortfalls in government food supplies.   In September 2022, China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea resumed some overland rail trade with strict quarantine measures in place, which might have helped alleviate some of the reported food and medicine shortages.   The Special Rapporteur is of the view that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will need international support to help tackle the prolonged food crisis. She appeals to the Government to put to one side political considerations and cooperate with the international community to help address the alarming food situation which has already, according to some sources, led to starvation.   Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions have further exacerbated already dire shortcomings in healthcare provision and accessibility to medicines. The Special Rapporteur has received reports that local hospitals are unable to perform simple medical procedures due to a lack of basic medicines, anaesthesia, disinfectants and IV drips.   In August 2022, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea enacted three new laws related to medical supplies, which provide for strict punishments for illegally producing and selling medicines. The imposition of harsh penalties for the illicit selling of medicines has limited their supply in the marketplace, which people have come to increasingly rely upon.   Reportedly, since January 2023, provincial and municipal hospitals have been discharging all patients, apart from those on emergency wards and/or suffering from severe diseases, due to lack of fuel for heating. Patients have also reportedly been required to bring their own medicines, medical supplies, and fuel to receive treatment at hospitals, limiting access to healthcare to those with the means to pay..   http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5265-situation-human-rights-democratic-peoples-republic-korea-report http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/06/turk-addresses-un-security-council-open-debate-situation-democratic-peoples Visit the related web page
	Victims of human rights violations suffer reprisals and intimidation for speaking out by OHCHR, IPS, IWGIA   If you cooperate with the United Nations and complain about human rights abuses in your home country, chances are you may find yourself either jailed, persecuted, tortured or under government surveillance in a number of countries.   In a report entitled - ‘Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights’ (A/HRC/51/47), the United Nations has singled out 42 countries (out of 193 member states) for condemnation for retaliating against human rights activists and journalists.   The 42 countries include some of the world’s worst authoritarian regimes with a notoriety for extensive human rights abuses.   Highlighting a number of “disturbing trends” over the past year, the annual report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres details how people — mainly victims of human rights violations, human rights defenders and journalists – suffered reprisals and intimidation by States and non-State actors.   This included people being detained, targeted by restrictive legislation and surveilled both online and offline. People who tried to cooperate with the UN, or were perceived as doing so, were also affected.   In a third of the countries named in the report, individuals and groups, including civil society organizations (CSOs), either refrained from cooperating or only agreed to report their cases anonymously out of fear of reprisals.   “Despite positive developments, including pledges and shared commitments by Member States against reprisals, this report shows the extent to which people are pursued and persecuted for raising human rights concerns with the UN”.   “And we know that, shocking though this number is, many cases of reprisals are not even reported,” says Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris.   Dr. Simon Adams, President and CEO of the Center for Victims of Torture, the largest international organization that treats survivors and advocates for an end to torture worldwide, told IPS the UN is an impartial international organization.   “When some states or armed groups perceive civil society activists or journalists speaking to the United Nations as constituting a threat to their interests, they are violating the ‘faith in fundamental human rights’ that the UN Charter proudly encapsulates,” he said.   ‘We the peoples,’ where ever we may be in the world, have a right to speak directly to UN representatives without some malevolent authority leaning over our shoulders, tapping our phone, or threatening us with detention or disappearance,” he said.   Human rights defenders in the countries mentioned in the UN Secretary-General’s report not only deserve our respect and solidarity, they need protection, declared Dr Adams.   When Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Ales Bialiatski and the organizations Memorial and the Centre for Civil Liberties on being awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, he said this year’s recognition shines a spotlight on the power of civil society in advance of peace.   “Civil society groups (CSOs) are the oxygen of democracy, and catalysts for peace, social progress and economic growth. They help keep governments accountable and carry the voices of the vulnerable into the halls of power”.   Yet today, civic space is narrowing across the world, the Secretary-General warned.   “Human rights defenders, women’s rights advocates, environmental activists, journalists and others face arbitrary arrest, harsh prison sentences, smear campaigns, crippling fines and violent attacks,” he declared.   “As we congratulate this year’s winners, let us pledge to defend the brave defenders of universal values of peace, hope and dignity,” Guterres said.   Meanwhile, responding to a decision by the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC), to establish an independent monitoring mechanism on the human rights situation in Russia, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said her organization welcomes the decision to finally bring Russia’s human rights record under scrutiny.   Under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, she pointed out, “the country has seen its political opposition crushed, grassroots NGOs and activists outlawed, independent media shuttered, and civil society as a whole scorched to the ground”.   “Russia’s unlawful aggression in Ukraine could not be a clearer demonstration of Vladimir Putin’s longstanding disregard for human rights.”   Callamard said the establishment of this important mechanism will be a long overdue lifeline to civil society in Russia, independent media and many others standing up to repression.   “We call on all states to support the swift establishment of this monitoring and reporting mandate, and to fully support victims of human rights and humanitarian law violations committed by the national authorities”.   “We call on the Russian authorities to heed the clear message that the Human Rights Council sends with the establishment of this mechanism, and to fundamentally change course to cease its violations at home and abroad,” she declared.   Providing an update on the military regime in Myanmar, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters October 6, that according to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), at least 170 journalists have been arrested since the military takeover in Myanmar in February last year.   Nearly 70 journalists, including 12 women, remain under detention. UNESCO has also recorded over 200 incidents of media repression, including killings, arrests, detention, criminal cases, imprisonments, and raids of editorial offices.   Forty-four journalists, which include seven women, have been sentenced for criminal offences by local courts, he said. Also, media workers report that they experience digital surveillance of mobile phones and social media platforms. UNESCO remains committed to protecting and defending their press freedom.   Meanwhile, the UN report said the surveillance of individuals and groups who cooperate with the UN continued to be reported in all regions with growing evidence of online surveillance and cyberattacks. The massive digital shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic also increased challenges relating to cyber-security, privacy, and access to online spaces.   Another concerning global trend is the use and impact of restrictive legislation that prevents and punishes cooperation with the UN, resulting in some cases of people being sentenced to long prison terms or placed under house arrest. There were recurring and similar allegations of intimidation reported in a number of countries, which could indicate a pattern.   Another global trend is self-censorship, choosing not to cooperate with the UN or doing so anonymously amid concerns for their safety. Increased surveillance and monitoring, as well as the fear of criminal liability, have created what the report terms a “chilling effect” of silence, stopping people from cooperating further with the UN and deterring others from doing so, according to the report.   As in previous years, the report shows that intimidation and reprisals disproportionally affect certain populations and groups, including representatives of indigenous peoples, minorities or those who work on environment and climate change issues, as well as people who may suffer discrimination based on age, sexual orientation and gender.   “The risks affecting women victims, as well as women human rights defenders and peace builders, who share testimony and cooperate with the UN remain daunting. We will continue to work to ensure that all can safely engage with the UN,” Brands Kehris stressed, as she presented the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5147-cooperation-united-nations-its-representatives-and-mechanisms http://www.iwgia.org/en/news/4982-immediate-end-reprisals-defenders-indigenous-peoples-rights-case-anexa-alfred-cunningham.html http://www.ipsnews.net/2022/10/un-censures-42-nations-retaliating-human-rights-activists-journalists/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/journalists-investigating-pegasus-spyware/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-pegasus-project-live-blog-major-stories-from-partners/ http://forbiddenstories.org/case/the-pegasus-project/ Visit the related web page
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