Dprk Human Rights Violations

In recent times, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been under the watchful eye of many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, among others; as well as perhaps the most well known intergovernmental organization (IGO), The United Nations. The accusations laid against the DPRK are egregious and according to The United Nations, the DPRK is sui generis (in their own category). The alleged human rights violations that the DPRK has imposed on its citizens include, however are not limited to; arbitrary detention, torture, and purposefully withholding food from its citizens. These allegations are in stark contrast to international treaties that the DPRK is a party to. Nevertheless, …show more content…
The DPRK has been a party to four separate international human rights treaties: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1981), and The Convention of the Rights of Child (1990), as well as a member of the United Nations since September 17, 1991. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states in line 6 of its preamble “whereas member states have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.” If the DPRK is a UN member, then could it have possibly committed crimes against humanity? The answer is a resounding yes. Article 5 for the UDHR states that no one shall be the subject of torture or inhumane punishment, be that as it may, “although torture is prohibited by law, it is extensively practiced. In addition, the substandard prison conditions, including lack of food, poor hygiene, freezing temperatures in wintertime, forced labour and corporal punishment, constitute a myriad of abuses and deprivations, ensuring that many prisons are akin to purgatory for the inmates” (Vitit Muntarbhorn, 2009). Vitit Muntarbhorn is the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the DPRK- his statement was published on record in the UNHR Annual Report in August of 2009. Furthermore Article 13 states freedom of mobility within the state as well as to other nations, however the North Korean Criminal Code, Article 233 states “a person who unlawfully crosses the frontier of the Republic shall be sentenced to a labor training institution for up to two years.” Within one document alone, the DPRK has