Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 February 2014
168. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the UN Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea; if he will raise these very serious findings at the next EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9661/14]
View answerI am deeply shocked at the appalling catalogue of human rights abuses in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea highlighted by the UN Commission of Inquiry. Accounts of appalling atrocities have been known for many years. This is the first time that they have been presented to the international community in such a detailed manner.
I want to pay tribute to the witnesses who have shared their first hand experiences of life in the DPRK, as well as the testimony of families of nationals of other countries who were abducted and held against their will in DPRK. I commend their bravery in speaking out, many of them in public hearings. The atrocities perpetrated by the DPRK authorities make chilling reading and expose the brutality of what is described in the report as a totalitarian state “which seeks to dominate every aspect of its citizens’ lives and terrorise them from within”. There is clearly a case to answer and I call on the DPRK authorities to engage with the UN process. The entire international community has an obligation to the people of the DPRK who have suffered so grievously.
The Commission will formally present its findings to the United Nations Human Rights Council on 17th March. The EU and Japan will table a resolution on human rights in DPRK during the March session of the HRC which will seek to take forward the recommendations made by the Commission. Drafting of the resolution is at a preliminary stage but I can assure you that Ireland will strongly support efforts to ensure follow-up to the recommendations, including those on accountability for human rights violations. It is particularly important to ensure accountability where violations of human rights may amount to crimes against humanity. The Commission’s findings in this regard must be taken very seriously. We are consulting with EU partners and Japan on how to reflect this in the resolution under discussion.
