A press release from Freedom House on World Refugee Day notes the continued harsh circumstances in China of those North Korean who try to flee embrace of the Dear Leader:
“Under any circumstances, the decision to leave one’s country is extraordinarily difficult and painful,” said Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director of Freedom House. “For North Koreans, however, the challenges and dangers are compounded by the brutality of the Pyongyang regime and by the attitudes of receiving countries, especially China. These people are frequently exploited by human traffickers, sold into wedlock and must live in constant fear of being reported to the authorities, who often send them back to North Korea.”
Remember, if you are in a clothing shop this weekend, buy Bangladeshi.
In related news, Freedom House is co-hosting a one-day conference in Rome on North Korean human rights with Italy’s Transnational Radical Party on July 12 (sorry, no link):
Freedom House and Italy’s Transnational Radical Party (TRP) will co-host a conference in Rome, Italy on July 12 entitled, “Promoting Human Rights and Religious Freedom in North Korea: Where Do We Go from Here?” As part of a year-long international advocacy campaign, Freedom House has teamed up with NGOs from the United States, Europe, and South Korea to host this one-day conference in order to continue to raise the profile of North Korea’s human rights abuses and to create a concrete action plan. The morning component of this day-long conference will highlight the widespread torture, incarceration, and public execution of political prisoners in North Korean gulags, while the afternoon portion will focus on the stifling of religious freedom in North Korea. Freedom House has invited Son Jung Hun, brother of Son Jong Nam to the Rome conference. The organizers of the conference also plan to hold bilateral meetings with senior Italian officials and Vatican officials on Thursday, July 14.
Whatever else the TRP may be, a cabal of neocons and Christian fundies it ain’t. It is certainly nice to see the left on board on this issue.
I have asked someone at Freedom House for the contact information for the conference in case any readers would like to attend (and send a review to the Hole). I will post it when/if I get it.
