A/HRC/26/43 reunification, “because for the elder generation even a delay of one or two years means that their chance of seeing their relatives may be lost forever”; and adopt measures to facilitate family reunification, as recommended by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (recommendations 75-78). Of the relevant recommendations made by the current mandate holder and the previous one over the years, the Special Rapporteur draws special attention to the recommendation that family reunions become a sustained process moving beyond short-term meetings to life-long reunification,23 and looks forward its concrete implementation. 5. Freedoms, treatment of persons under detention, and accountability 36. The Special Rapporteur is seriously concerned at the number of recommendations relating to freedoms, fair trial, the treatment of persons in detention and the accountability of those committing human rights abuses that the Government indicated as accepted and already implemented or currently being implemented. These recommendations included that the State continue to prevent and to punish human rights abuses by law enforcement officials (recommendation 61); give all in detention a fair trial (recommendation 72); train professionals involved in the judicial system on the relevant international standards on a fair trial and rule of law (recommendation 73); ensure that all persons deprived of their liberty are treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human being (recommendation 74); allow the exercise of the right to the freedom of expression and the freedom of association and assembly by fostering and facilitating civil society entities and enabling them to obtain status under law (recommendation 79); and take further steps to support freedom of expression and the right to freedom of movement (recommendation 84). The Special Rapporteur is seriously concerned because the claim by the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that the recommendations were already implemented or currently being implemented contrasts starkly with the findings documented by the commission of inquiry and the information received by the Special Rapporteur. 37. At its second periodic review, the delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea asserted that political prison camps did not exist and were a “complete fabrication”; furthermore, persons sentenced to the penalty of reform through labour under the country’s Criminal Law served their terms in reform institutions.24 On a number of freedoms widely documented as being seriously curtailed, the Government claimed that the Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also guaranteed freedom of religion, and that the State respected religious life and ceremonies of religious people and ensured the freedom to set up churches and other religious buildings.25 Freedom to travel was fully guaranteed by both the Constitution and the law; persons in the country could travel abroad after complying with the necessary formalities. People were furthermore free to travel anywhere within the country, “with the exception of the frontlines and areas with military installations where one can travel after obtaining permission”,26 while freedom of expression was “a fundamental human right protected by law”. The people in the country were able to freely express their views through radios, newspapers and magazines; any violation of these rights was subject to legal punishment.27 38. The above responses given by the Government reflect total denial of the actual situation; similarly, its blatant denial of the systematic human rights violations and the 23 24 25 26 27 12 A/HRC/13/47, para. 74 (c). A/HRC/27/10, para. 60. Ibid., para. 61. Ibid., para. 62. Ibid., para. 63.