朝鲜强烈批评人权纪录研讨会

A nonprofit organization’s conference on North Korea’s human rights record is drawing sharp criticism from Pyongyang, which is threatening to strongly respond to what it calls provocations by hostile forces. Tuesday’s conference in Washington is part of a broader plan by human rights organizations to increase pressure on Pyongyang to dismantle its repressive system of political prisons.

While efforts have stalled in the United Nations to prosecute North Korea’s leaders for crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court, the issue is not fading away.

Phil Robertson with the independent organization Human Rights Watch says they are planning a number of ways to publicly shame Pyongyang over its human rights violations even if North Korea’s allies on the U.N. Security Council block any punitive action. “Of course that may be the case, because of course China and Russia are still there, they still have veto authority, then we may have to search for an ad hoc international accountability mechanism,” he said.

International pressure has been intensifying on Pyongyang since the release of a U.N. report last year documenting a network of political prisons in North Korea and atrocities that include murder, enslavement, and torture.

While the U.N. Security Council has not voted to prosecute North Korea, it did vote last December to put the issue on its agenda. Human rights advocates say this procedural vote was a major victory because once the issue is on Security Council’s agenda it can be brought up again at any time.

This week the Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is holding a public conference on human rights in the North Korea.

Jang Il Hun, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations on Monday objected to the continued international focus on the human rights situation in his country. He denied any allegations of abuse, and insisted that Pyongyang's offer to attend the conference was rejected by Washington, even though the event is open to the public.

Jang Il Hun said: “We will strongly respond to the end, to any of the slightest provocation by the hostile forces, such as the one in the conference convened by the United States. We will continue to develop and strengthen our people and other socialist system that formerly guarantees the protection and promotion of human rights of our people."

But human rights organizations and the United Nations are not backing down. In March the U.N. Human Rights Council will meet in Geneva and hold a session on North Korea. Also this year the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner For Human Rights will open an office based in Seoul to focus on the human rights situation in nuclear-armed communist North Korea.一个非盈利组织星期二在华盛顿召开有关朝鲜人权纪录的研讨会。平壤提出强烈批评，并威胁要对它所说的敌对势力的挑衅做出强硬反应。星期二的研讨会是一些人权组织范围更为广泛计划的一部分，希望加大对平壤的压力，迫使它废除压制性的政治犯监狱体系。

在联合国国际刑事法庭起诉朝鲜领导人反人类罪的努力陷入僵局之际，朝鲜人权问题没有从人们的视野中消失。

独立的人权组织人权观察的菲尔•罗伯逊表示，尽管朝鲜在联合国安理会的盟友阻止对平壤制裁，但人权组织计划通过一些途径将朝鲜践踏人权的问题曝光。他说：“当然，有可能无法进行制裁，因为中国和俄罗斯还在那里。它们都有否决权。我们或许不得不寻找临时的国际问责机制。”

自去年联合国发布报告列举了朝鲜的政治犯监狱和包括谋杀、奴役和酷刑在内的暴行以来，国际间对平壤的压力持续增加。

安理会还没有就起诉朝鲜的问题表决，但去年12月表决通过将这个问题提上议程。人权活动人士表示，这个程序表决是一个重大胜利，因为这个问题一旦进入安理会的议程，就可以在任何时候提出。

本星期，总部设在华盛顿的智库战略与国际问题研究中心举行有关朝鲜人权问题的公开研讨会。

星期一，朝鲜常驻联合国代表张日勋表示反对国际社会继续关注朝鲜人权状况。他反驳外界有关朝鲜践踏人权的指责，坚持说平壤提出参加这次研讨会但被拒绝。实际上，这次研讨会对公众开放。

张日勋说：“我们将自始至终对敌对势力的任何微小挑衅做出强烈的回应。美国召开这样的研讨会就是挑衅。我们将继续发展和巩固我们的人民和其他社会主义制度，这种制度正式保障并促进我们人民的人权。”

人权组织和联合国没有为此退却。今年3月，联合国人权理事会将在日内瓦开会讨论朝鲜人权问题。今年联合国人权事务高级专员公署将在首尔开设一个办事处，关注拥有核武器的朝鲜的人权状况。