Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Michelle Steel (CA-48)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of a coming United Nations review of the human rights situation in North Korea, U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel is calling on the Biden-Harris Administration to hold Kim Jong-un’s regime accountable for failing to respect human rights obligations under international law.
Steel, a first-generation immigrant whose parents fled North Korea, wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighting a series of concerns including North Korea’s campaign of torture, unlawful detainment and improper refugee treatment, among other issues.
The United States will have an opportunity to raise areas of concern as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s review process.
“Decades after my parents fled following a communist takeover, North Korea’s government continues to abuse basic human rights and aggressively persecute its own citizens,” said Rep. Michelle Steel. “Innocent North Koreans, defectors, and detained foreign citizens need the United States’ help now more than ever. I will continue fighting for their freedoms while urging the Biden Administration to hold North Korea accountable for violating international human rights standards.”
Steel’s letter calls on Secretary of State Blinken to address numerous issues as part of the UN review, including but not limited to:
- Refugee repatriation from China back to North Korea
- Citizens of America’s allies (South Korea and Japan) held against their will in North Korea
- North Korea’s political prison camps
- North Korea’s failure to ratify international treaties to prevent torture
###