North Korea: Retain Human Rights Sanctions
New Q&A Examines Sanctions Regime, Trump-Kim Summit
(New York) – United Nations and bilateral sanctions against North Korea for grave human rights violations should continue until the government makes substantial progress addressing abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. A new Q&A answers questions about the sanctions regime and outlines the importance of human rights to negotiations that are primarily focused on nuclear proliferation issues.
A possible summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea¡¯s leader Kim Jong Un has increased attention on the sanctions regime in place against North Korea. Current sanctions address both North Korea¡¯s missile and nuclear weapons proliferation activities and its horrific human rights record. The Q&A examines how the sanctions work, why they were imposed, and how they might be relaxed, lifted, or intensified in the future.
¡°In a country that is often described as the most repressive in the world, human rights should be a central feature of all discussions and negotiations,¡± said Brad Adams, Asia director. ¡°Whatever the outcome of nuclear talks, human rights-related sanctions should remain in effect until North Korea changes the way it treats its people.¡±
[Source: Human Rights Watch]