Saturday, December 05, 2009

Signatures needed for Petition to ICC on behalf of North Koreans

Excerpts of a letter from Suzanne Scholte concerning the appeal to the International Criminal Court to be hand delivered to the ICC. Responses needed by December 7th:


Kyung B. Lee of the Council for Human Rights in North Korea (Canada) is circulating an Appeal for Action for signatures. This petition is in support of the North Korean defectors who are appealing to the International Criminal Court requesting a preliminary examination and/or investigation on crimes against humanity being committed in North Korea. This appeal has already been endorsed by David Hawk, Rabbi Abraham Cooper and of course, the North Korea Freedom Coalition, and many NGOs in Canada and South Korea.


If you want to join in support, please respond directly to Kyung B. Lee with your name and/or NGO, via: kbl928@yahoo.com


“Whereas in particular the perceived wrong-doers and wrong-thinkers in North Korea are classified as enemies of class, subjected to enforced disappearance by state authorities without due judiciary process, and imprisoned at remote penal colonies (“political prison camps” or “gulags”), known as “kwan-li-so.” Once imprisoned, the inmates are subjected to slave labor, usually for life, and other atrocities, including beatings, tortures, induced starvation and executions;
“Whereas it is known that there are six such camps in North Korea imprisoning some 150,000 to 200,000 inmates, located at Kaecheon (39.579 N, 126.068 E), Yoduk (39.727 N, 126.845 E), Hwasong (41.3 N, 129.2 E), Bukchang (39.554 N, 126.065 E), Hoeryong (42.536 N, 129.935 E), and Chongjin (41.9 N. 129.7 E);
“Whereas in addition, thousands of North Koreans, forcibly repatriated from China and suspected of having had contacts with South Koreans or Korean-Chinese churches or other religious personnel while in China, are imprisoned in penitentiaries known as “kyo-hwa-so” and subjected to extremely brutal inhumane punishment.”

No comments: