US President, Barack Obama, has signed a new piece of legislation that intends to encourage the observation of human rights in North Korea.
The law, that extends until 2017, is aimed at putting pressure on North Korea to respect the issues of human rights, democracy refugee protection and freedom of information. It provides legal ground for the US government to financially support radio stations broadcasting into North Korea and the appointment of a special envoy regarding the North’s human rights issues.
The act also urges the US government to demand that China halts its forcible repatriation of North Koreans, who it describes as “genuine refugees” that “face severe punishments upon their forcible return”.
Emphasising the urgency of addressing human rights abuses in North Korea, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, said,
“A regime that abuses its own people with impunity cannot be trusted to negotiate honestly with the outside world. Stifling basic freedoms with death camps and firing squads undermines the long term stability of North Korea.”
This new legislation materialises shortly after the North Koreans told US experts that they were no longer interested in sticking to an agreement that involved reduction of the North Korean Nuclear program.
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