of Americaits Western allies and experts spotlighted the dire human rights situation and increasing oppression north korea At a United Nations meeting on Friday, China and Russia condemned the move as a politicized move likely to further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
China has blocked the US from broadcasting unofficial Security Council meetings to the world over the internet. This is a decision that has been criticized by the US Ambassador. Linda Thomas-Greenfield As an attempt to cover up North Korea’s “atrocities” from the world.
Webcasting requires the consent of all 15 Council members. But the U.S. special envoy said Beijing’s efforts would be futile because the talks would be public, and that the U.S. and many other countries would continue to oppose North Korea’s human rights abuses and threats to international peace.
James Turpin, a senior official with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula pose a threat to regional and international peace and security, saying: It cannot be separated,” he said. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”, the official name of North Korea.
North Korea has been isolated since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.of united nations Mr Turpin said this was “consistent with increasing suppression of civil and political rights”.
He advocates stronger government measures to prevent people from accessing information from the outside world, extreme levels of surveillance, and the use of people subject to random searches for material not authorized by the state. It pointed out punishments for those who attempt to exercise their basic rights, including home and freedom of expression, religion and peaceful assembly.
Elizabeth Salmon, the United Nations special researcher on human rights in North Korea, also stressed the “interdependence of international peace and security and human rights,” and that peace and denuclearization cannot be addressed without considering current human rights violations. said.
At the conference, she said the limited information available indicated that the suffering of the North Korean people was increasing and that already restricted freedoms were waning. Access to food, medicine and health care remains a priority, with “people freezing to death in a January cold snap”. Some had no money to heat their homes, while others were forced to live on the streets because they sold their goods. their home as a last resort.
China’s UN mission counselor Xin Zisheng criticized the United States for discussing human rights in the Security Council, which is tasked with ensuring international peace and security, saying it was “not constructive in any way”. rice field. Instead of de-escalating tensions, he said, “it is an irresponsible move because it could in fact escalate conflicts.”
“Using UN WebTV for live broadcasting is a waste of UN resources,” Xing added, adding that if countries are truly concerned about the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the well-being of the people, they should resume dialogue and avoid tensions. We support the lifting of sanctions affecting the livelihoods of the North Korean people and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in North Korea.
Stepan Kuzmenkov, senior adviser to Russia’s UN mission, echoes China’s opposition to discussing human rights in the Security Council and calls a meeting with ‘clearly anti-North Korean tendencies’ He said there was no basis for it.
He accused the U.S. of using human rights to “settle points with governments that didn’t suit them” and said the U.S. and its allies “are trying to” Under pretext, he condemned what he called a “flow of disinformation” about North Korea. protect human rights. “
Kuzmenov said, “We see the United States, South Korea and Japan engaging in aggressive military activities that have increased tensions in Northeast Asia and endangered the security of countries in the region.” One is ignoring initiatives that help defuse tensions and substantive and constructive signals that (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un is on a mission that could lead to potential escalation. be.”
Thomas Greenfield of the United States countered that “the regime’s widespread human rights violations and threats to our collective security could not be more evident.”
North Korea’s ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs threaten international peace and security and are “inextricably linked to the regime’s human rights abuses,” she said.
“In North Korea, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction always, always, always trumps the human rights and humanitarian needs of its people,” said Thomas Greenfield.
