The U.N. Commission of Inquiry's report on North Korea documented numerous crimes against humanity, including the systematic abuse of prisoners and food policies that lead to starvation. But the report's most chilling section mentions standing orders at North Korea's political prison camps to kill all prisoners in the event of armed conflict or revolution. Kim Il-sung gave the kill-all order, and Kim Jong-il reaffirmed it, according to testimonies by camp guards and former prison officials.
Roberta Cohen, co-chair of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, believes that there are a few steps that can be taken to prevent such massacres.
First, the North Korean government must be shown that its abuse of political prisoners has costs. Second, the U.N. Security Council must place North Korea's human rights abuses on its agenda and create targeted sanctions against the country. Third, the voice of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon must be heard. Fourth, in the United States, a bill before Congress that would impose financial sanctions on North Korea for its human rights transgressions and nuclear provocations must be passed and signed by President Obama.
Furthermore, the Atrocities Prevention Board established by the Obama administration must place the risk to North Korean prisoners on its agenda. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Kim regime must be made to understand that the world is watching.
Bringing political prisoners to safety must be part and parcel of any strategy developed to respond to a collapse in North Korea. It is essential that humanitarian organizations and military forces focus now on how to rescue survivors.
SOURCE: The Washington Post
