A/HRC/RES/25/25
repatriated from abroad and made subject to sanctions, including internment, torture, cruel,
inhumane and degrading treatment, sexual violence, enforced disappearance or the death
penalty, and in this regard strongly urges all States to respect the fundamental principle of
non-refoulement, to treat humanely those who seek refuge and to ensure unhindered access
to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and his Office, with a view to
protecting the human rights of those who seek refuge, and once again urges State parties to
comply with their obligations under international human rights law as well as the 1951
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereto in relation to
persons from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea who are covered by those
instruments;
5.
Acknowledges and is deeply troubled by the commission’s finding that the
body of testimony gathered and the information received provided reasonable grounds to
believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, pursuant to policies established at the highest level of the State for
decades; these crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture,
imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political,
religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced
disappearance of persons and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation;
6.
Stresses that the authorities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
have failed to prosecute those responsible for crimes against humanity and other human
rights violations, and encourages the members of the international community to cooperate
with accountability efforts and to ensure that these crimes do not remain unpunished;
7.
Recommends that the General Assembly submit the report of the commission
of inquiry to the Security Council for its consideration and appropriate action in order that
those responsible for human rights violations, including those that may amount to crimes
against humanity, are held to account, including through consideration of referral of the
situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the appropriate international
criminal justice mechanism, and consideration of the scope for effective targeted sanctions
against those who appear to be most responsible for crimes against humanity, taking into
account the relevant conclusions and recommendations of the commission of inquiry;
8.
Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur of the situation of
human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in accordance with Human
Rights Council resolution 22/13 for a period of one year;
9.
Calls upon all parties concerned, including United Nations bodies, to
consider implementation of the recommendations made by the commission of inquiry in its
report in order to address the dire human rights situation in the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea;
10.
Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights to follow up urgently on the recommendations made by the commission of inquiry
in its report, and to provide the Special Rapporteur with increased support, including
through the establishment of a field-based structure to strengthen monitoring and
documentation of the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, to ensure accountability, to enhance engagement and capacity-building with the
Governments of all States concerned, civil society and other stakeholders, and to maintain
visibility of the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
including through sustained communications, advocacy and outreach initiatives;
11.
Also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to report on its follow-up
efforts in the regular annual report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on the
situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, effective as of the
sixty-ninth session of the Assembly;
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