China, Stop the Repatriation of North Korean Defectors.

 

Several organizations in South Korea, along with some Christians and members of parliament, are condemning China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors.

 

On October 31, 2023, thousands of individuals from various organizations in South Korea protested in front of the National Assembly Building. They announced that they would launch an international campaign to halt China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors from November 6 to 8 at the UN headquarters and in Washington, D.C.

 

According to credible media reports and testimonies from North Korean defectors, many North Koreans are either imprisoned in Chinese jails or executed in North Korean political prison camps. North Korea is described not as a country but as a massive prison, mainly where Christians are considered political criminals and subjected to inhumane treatment worse than animals.

 

On the night of October 9, 2023, the Chinese government revealed that it had secretly and forcibly repatriated over 600 North Korean defectors who were in Chinese prisons. Currently, more than 1,000 defectors remaining in Chinese prisons are at risk of repatriation.

 

China began secretly and forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors who had been detained in its prisons starting in 2020 after reopening the border with North Korea, which had been closed due to COVID-19 lockdowns. On October 9, right after the Hangzhou Asian Games, China forcibly repatriated over 600 defectors and continued attempts at forced repatriation.

 

For over two decades, North Korea has subjected forcibly repatriated individuals to torture, imprisonment, detention in political prison camps, and even execution, constituting severe human rights violations, including crimes against humanity.

 

China has been forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors while fully aware that they face imminent danger and potential death in North Korea. China repeatedly claims not to engage in forced repatriation, stating that it follows international law, domestic law, and the principle of non-refoulement.

 

China should adhere to the international norm of non-refoulement. Specifically, they should adhere to Article 3 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which explicitly prohibits the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. China's forced repatriation is complicit in North Korea's crimes against humanity.

 

The United Nations General Assembly revoked the membership of the Russian Human Rights Council in April 2022 following human rights abuses in Ukraine.

 

Protesters against China argue that due to China's inhumane forced repatriation, many North Korean defectors in China live in fear and despair. They call on China to protect the human rights of these defectors who crossed the border to escape hunger and persecution in North Korea, only to face human trafficking, forced labor, and exploitation in China.

 

Repatriating them to North Korea as illegal residents is inhumane and reveals the true face of China, which claims to be a global leader but remains mired in primitiveness and barbarity.

 

BREADTV/ REFORMAND