North Korean crimes against humanity

Reuters:

North Korea has committed "crimes against humanity" against its own people according to an independent report published on Monday that made a long-shot appeal for the U.N. Security Council to deal with the issue.

Released after North Korea's October 9 nuclear test, the report describes Pyongyang's brutal treatment of its citizens, from the beatings of pregnant women to force miscarriages to the abduction, torture and execution of political prisoners.

Commissioned by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, former Czech president Vaclav Havel and former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, the paper seeks to spotlight rights abuses that have been previously reported but are often overshadowed by concern about North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"It is clear that (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-il and the North Korean government are actively committing crimes against humanity," they said in a letter introducing the report, which was prepared by the nonprofit, independent U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and by the DLA Piper law firm.

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Don't hold your breath waiting for the UN to do anything about this. Multi lateralism is the friend of the despot. Just look at what is happening in Darfur and Zimbabwe. The multi lateral approach always devolves to what is left over after everyone says what they are not willing to do. What China, Russia and sometimes France are not willing to do is stop genociadal despots like Kim.

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