국제 인권 단체, “앰네스티 인터내셔날”은, 북한 정부가 여전히 국민들의 먹고 살 권리를 존중하고 보호해야할 의무를 다하지못해, 오랜 식량 위기를 더욱 악화시키고있다고 말하고 있습니다.
런던에 본부를 둔 앰네스티 인터내셔날은 24일에 내놓은 연례 보고서에서 이같이 말하고, 이로인해 북한에서는 특히 북부 지방의 어린이들과 도시 주민들 사이에 고질적인 영양 실조 상태가 만연되고있다고 지적했습니다.
이 보고서는 또한 북한에서는 표현의 자유와 결사 및 이동의 자유등 기본적인 권리들이 계속 거부당하고 있고, 독자적인 외국 인권 감시 요원들의 입국이 여전히 심히 규제되고 있는가하면, 정치적인 투옥과 고문, 학대 및 처형이 계속해서 널리 자행되고 있다는 보도들도 있다고 말하고 있습니다.
보고서 내용을 좀더 자세히 소개해드리겠습니다.
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앰네스티 인터내셔날 보고서는 먼저, 지난 해 4월 유엔 인권 위원회가, 북한에서 인권이 조직적으로 광범위하게 크게 침해되고 있다는 보도들이 속속 나오고있는데 대해 깊은 우려를 표명하는 결의안을 통과시키고, 7월에 북한 인권 상황을 보고하도록 특별 보고관을 임명했다고 지적하고 있습니다.
이 보고서는 또, 6월에는 유엔 아동 권리 위원회가 북한인들의 민권과 정치적 권리가 제약되고있고, 북한의 군대 자진 입대 최저 연령이 16세이며, 어린 학생들에게 무기를 조립하고 분해하는 것을 가르치고 있다는데 우려를 표명하고 아울러 청소년 교도 체제에서 당국이 독립적으로 불편부당하게 선고 결정을 내리는지에 우려를 제기했다고 말하고 있습니다.
이 보고서는, 이와같은 상황에서 정보와 주민들에 대한 접근은 고도로 통제되고 있다고 지적하고, 지난 해 4월 유엔 아동 권리 위원회의 3인 대표단이 이례적으로 북한 입국을 허용받긴 했으나, 앰네스티 인터내셔날등 독자적인 인권 감시 요원들에 대해서는 물론이고 유엔의 북한 인권 특별 보고관과 식량 특별 보고관의 거듭된 입국 요청에 대해서도 북한 정부는 계속 거부했다고 사례를 들고 있습니다.
나아가, 유엔 세계 식량 계획이 지난 해 10월 북한에 주재하는 자체 직원들이 원조 식량의 배급을 감시하려는 것을 북한 정부가 “안보상의 이유”를 들어 거부했다고 이 보고서는 말하고, 북한 정부의 이와같은 계속된 방해와 거부로 인해 북한 주민들에 대한 식량 지원의 필요 분량을 정확히 파악하는 것이 저해됐다고 지적하고 있습니다.
이 보고서는, 수백만명의 북한인들이 여전히 굶주림과 고질적인 영양 실조로 고통을 받고있다고 말하고, 이는 바로, 이동과 정보의 자유에 대한 정부의 계속적인 규제와 투명성 결여, 독립적인 감시 활동의 방해등으로 원조 식량이 언제나 가장 필요로하는 사람들에게 이르지 못했음을 의미하는 것이라고 지적하고 있습니다.
이 보고서는, 2004년의 북한 주민 일일 배급량이 그러지않아도 부족한 2003년의 319그람에서 300그람으로 줄어들었으며, 이에 따라 도시 거주 가정의 소득이 최고 85%까지 식량 구입에 쓰이고 있는 것으로 보도됐으며, 북한인들의 상당수가 단백질이나 지방 또는 미량영양소들을 거의 섭취하지못해 영양 실조 상태에 있으며, 특히 유아와 영아의 사망률이 갈수록 높아지고 어린이들의 영양 부족과 발육 부진 율이 높은데에 유엔 아동 권리 위원회가 우려를 표명했다고 지적하고 있습니다.
앰네스티 인터내셔날의 2004년 북한 인권 보고서는, 이같은 극심한 식량 부족으로 수많은 북한인들이 어쩌는수 없이 불법으로 국경을 넘어 중국으로 갔다가 강제 송환돼 구금되고 심문을 받은 뒤 북한 공안부나 국가 안전국이 운영하는 수용소나 감옥에서 고통을 받았다고 지적했습니다.
이 보고서는, 2003년 8월 중국 상하이에서 중국 공안에 붙잡혀 신의주로 송환돼 심문을 받은 뒤 함경북도에 있는 국가 안전국의 수용소로 넘겨져 최고 10년이라는 이례적으로 가혹한 징역형을 선고받은 3명의 북한인이 이 과정에서 구타와 물고문등을 받았다는 보도 내용을 전했습니다.
이 보고서는 또, 북한에서 비록 숫적으로는 줄어들었으나 공개 처형이 계속 자행되고있어, 유엔 인권 위원회의 북한 결의안이 이 공개 처형과 정치범들에 대한 사형 선고에 우려를 표명했다고 지적하고, 구금 시설들에선 즉결 처형과 비밀 처형이 이루어지고있는 것으로 추측하는 보도들도 있다고 말하고 있습니다.
이 보고서는, 탈북했다 강제 송환된 여성들은 교도소에서 알몸 수색을 당하거나 남성 간수들로부터 성 추행을 당하는 치욕적인 취급을 받고 있는 것으로 보도됐다고 말하고 있습니다.
앰네스티 인터내셔날의 연례 인권 보고서는, 수백명의 탈북자들이 베이징에 있는 외국 공관들과 외국 운영 학교들에 진입하려 했고, 외국 공관에 들어간 100여명은 중국을 떠날수있는 허가를 기다리고 있었다는 등 지난 해의 탈북자 현황을 자세히 소개하고 있습니다.
(영어 전문)
The government continued to fail in its duty to uphold and protect the right to food, exacerbating the effects of the long-standing food crisis. Chronic malnutrition among children and urban populations, especially in the northern provinces, was widespread. Fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, association and movement, continued to be denied. Access by independent monitors continued to be severely restricted. There were reports of widespread political imprisonment, torture and ill-treatment, and of executions.
Background
Relations between North and South Korea cooled during the year. In July South Korean navy ships fired at a North Korean ship that had crossed the western sea border. Notwithstanding, in October, South Korea pledged to support a World Food Programme (WFP) emergency operation in North Korea aimed at 6.5 million vulnerable people, most of them children and women. In addition, South Korea promised 1.2 million tons of rice in the form of concessional loans to North Korea.
The third round of six-party talks (involving North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the USA) aimed at persuading North Korea to cease its nuclear weapons programme met in Beijing in June, but little progress was achieved. North Korea refused to attend a fourth round scheduled for September. North Korea warned in October that it would use “war deterrent force” if the USA brought the nuclear dispute before the UN Security Council.
In October, the US President signed into law the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, which provided humanitarian assistance and for North Koreans to be granted asylum in the USA.
International scrutiny of human rights record
In April, the UN Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution expressing deep concern about continuing reports of systemic, widespread and grave violations of human rights. A Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea was appointed in July.
In June, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) expressed concern at the limitations on civil and political rights of North Koreans, including children. It also expressed concern that the minimum age for voluntary enlistment in the armed forces was 16 and that school children were taught to assemble and dismantle weapons. The CRC raised concerns about the independence and impartiality of the authorities taking sentencing decisions in the juvenile justice system.
Denial of access
Information and access continued to be highly controlled. A three-member delegation of the CRC was allowed unprecedented access in April. However, despite repeated requests, the government continued to deny access to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food as well as to AI and other independent human rights monitors.
In October, the WFP announced that its staff in North Korea were not permitted free access to monitor aid distribution for “security reasons”. This continued obstruction by the government and denial of access to monitors undermined accurate assessment of the population’s need for food assistance.
Freedom of expression
Severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association persisted. The news media was controlled by a single political party, which journalists were coerced into joining. According to reports, at least 40 journalists since the mid-1990s have been “re-educated” for errors such as misspelling a senior official’s name. Radio and television sets were tuned to receive only state broadcasts and those who listened to foreign radio stations risked being punished.
Freedom from hunger and malnutrition
Millions of North Koreans continued to suffer hunger and chronic malnutrition. Continued government restrictions on freedom of movement and information, lack of transparency and hampering of independent monitoring meant that food aid may not always have reached those most in need.
Rations from the Public Distribution System – the primary source of staple food for more than 70 per cent of the population – were reportedly set to decline from the already insufficient 319g per person per day in 2003 to 300g in 2004. Urban families reportedly spent up to 85 per cent of their incomes on food. Such households were heavily dependent on inflation-prone private markets, where staples cost 10 to 15 times more than in the government-run system.
Much of the population was afflicted by critical dietary deficiencies, consuming very little protein, fat or micro-nutrients. The CRC expressed concern about increasing infant and child mortality rates, high rates of malnourishment and stunting in children, and alarming increases in maternal mortality rates. It also expressed serious concern about lack of access to clean drinking water and poor sanitation.
The acute food shortages forced thousands to cross “illegally” to China’s north-eastern provinces. Those repatriated faced detention, interrogation and imprisonment in poor conditions.
Torture and ill-treatment
North Koreans forcibly repatriated from China were detained and interrogated in detention centres or police stations operated by the National Security Agency or the People’s Safety Agency.
- Three North Korean nationals – Chang Gyung-chul, his brother Chang Gyung-soo and their cousin Chang Mi-hwa – were arrested by Chinese Security Police in Shanghai, China, in August 2003. They were taken to Sinuiju City, North Korea, for interrogation, then transferred to the National Security Agency detention centre in North Hamgyung Province.
In September 2004 Chang Gyung-chul and Chang Gyung-soo were each sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, apparently because of their unauthorized departure from North Korea. The unusually harsh sentence was attributed to the fact that their mother, Shin Jong-ai, who is now a South Korean citizen, was earlier imprisoned on similar charges.
Beatings were reportedly common during interrogation. If prisoners were caught communicating, they were beaten with wooden sticks or iron bars. After the beating, cold water was reportedly poured over the prisoners’ bodies, even in the middle of winter. Some prisoners were reportedly subjected to “water torture”, where they were tied up and forced to drink large quantities of water.
Conditions in detention centres and prisons (which were severely overcrowded) worsened, partly as a result of the lack of food. Food shortages also reportedly resulted in deaths from malnutrition in political penal labour colonies or “control and management places”. Prisoners charged with breaking prison rules had their food cut even further.
In June, the CRC expressed concern at reports of institutional violence against juveniles, especially in detention and in social institutions.
Executions
Reports of public executions continued to be received, although fewer in number than in previous years. Executions were by firing squad or hanging. The UN Commission on Human Rights resolution on North Korea expressed concern at public executions and the imposition of the death penalty for political reasons. Reports also suggested that extrajudicial executions and secret executions took place in detention facilities.
Women in custody
Women detainees were reportedly subjected to degrading prison conditions. Women detained after being forcibly returned from China were reportedly compelled to remove all clothes and were subjected to intimate body searches. Women stated that, during pre-trial detention, the male guards humiliated them and touched them inappropriately. All women, including those who were pregnant or elderly, were forced to work from early morning to late at night in fields or prison factories. Prisons lacked basic facilities for women’s needs.
North Korean asylum-seekers in Asia
Hundreds of North Koreans tried to enter foreign diplomatic missions and foreign-run schools in Beijing. More than 100 were in diplomatic missions, waiting for permission to leave China. In October, the Chinese government claimed that the diplomatic missions involved were too tolerant.
In July, at least 468 North Koreans flew from Viet Nam to South Korea, becoming the biggest single group of North Korean asylum-seekers to arrive there since the division of the peninsula. More than 5,000 North Koreans had reached South Korea and been granted South Korean nationality.
In October, Mongolian authorities detained two North Koreans seeking to reach the USA. They were attempting to fly to South Korea from where they hoped to take advantage of the US North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004.
The CRC expressed concern at reports of North Korean street children in Chinese border towns. It was also deeply concerned at reports that children (and their families) returning or deported back to North Korea were considered not as victims, but as perpetrators of a crime.
