The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea Calls Upon the Leadership of North Korea to Open up Its Closed Society and End the Repression of Its Population

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea calls upon the new leadership of North Korea to take the following steps to open up its closed society, end the repression of its population and become a full-fledged member of the international community:

• Order the release of the 200,000 political prisoners reportedly held without charge or trial in brutal and harrowing conditions.
• Allow the International Committee of the Red Cross entry into the camps to assist with the release and rehabilitation of prisoners.
• Halt the ongoing arrests of North Koreans on political and religious grounds, for trying to leave the country, or for trading in markets in order to survive.
• Allow entry to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea to monitor the situation and assist with the development of the rule of law.
• Comply with international standards of food distribution and monitoring and allow full access to international humanitarian agencies.

We call on the international community to concern itself not only with security and nuclear issues, but with the persecution, starvation and political repression of the North Korean population.

Roberta Cohen
Chair, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea

Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea

SOURCE Committee for Human Rights in North Korea