US: "Human Rights at the Core of Diplomacy... China's Collective Genocide"..."Will Hold North Korea Accountable for Human Rights Violations"

China Formalizes Genocide in Uyghur Region
No Major Change in North Korea Mention
Ally Saudi Arabia Also Targeted
Korean Cases Also Cited

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. Department of State has released its first country-specific human rights report under the Joe Biden administration, reaffirming its commitment to placing human rights at the center of its foreign policy. While criticisms of North Korean human rights showed little change from previous years, the report emphasized maintaining strong pressure, and took a tough stance on China and Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in the preface of the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released on the 30th (local time), "It is an honor to reaffirm America’s commitment to placing human rights at the center of our foreign policy," before immediately turning to pressure on China.

Secretary Blinken condemned, "In China, government authorities have committed genocide against the Uyghurs, perpetrating crimes such as detention, torture, and forced sterilization."

Major international media noted that although Secretary Blinken had verbally mentioned China’s atrocities before, this human rights report marks the Biden administration’s first official recognition that China is committing genocide in the Uyghur region.

The U.S. assessment came amid escalating sanctions by the U.S., European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom against human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, China’s retaliatory sanctions, and intensified consumer boycotts in China against brands such as H&M, Nike, and Burberry.

The State Department also criticized the arrests of Hong Kong democracy activists and censorship of the press and internet following the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law.

The report also addressed human rights incidents in U.S. allied countries such as South Korea and Saudi Arabia, with particular focus on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia.

In the preface, Secretary Blinken emphasized, "We all have work to do and must use every available means to achieve a more peaceful and just world."

Human Rights Report Released After North Korean Provocations... No Significant Change in Tone

Secretary Blinken did not specifically mention North Korea in the preface. However, on the 17th, during his visit to South Korea, he publicly criticized, "The authoritarian regime in North Korea continues to commit systematic and widespread abuses against its own people."

The North Korea human rights report showed no significant differences compared to the '2019 North Korea Human Rights Report.' It pointed out that the powers and responsibilities of various security agencies are intentionally and systematically overlapping, with the authorities maintaining effective control over security units that violate numerous human rights.

The report listed serious human rights issues in North Korea, including unlawful or arbitrary killings by authorities, enforced disappearances, torture and cruel treatment and punishment, political prison camps with life-threatening harsh detention conditions, and arbitrary detention and arrest.

It further noted that the North Korean regime has not taken credible measures to punish officials responsible for human rights abuses, and that COVID-19 prevention measures have made it more difficult for international organizations to remain in North Korea, complicating efforts to assess the situation.

The report also criticized the North Korean government for failing to explain the case of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who was detained in North Korea in 2017 and died after his release.

While the 2018 '2017 North Korea Human Rights Report' directly targeted North Korea by stating "North Korean people face severe human rights abuses by their government," subsequent reports have omitted this expression.

Lisa Peterson, Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, said, "We remain deeply concerned about North Korea’s appalling human rights record, one of the worst in the world," and added, "We will continue to hold the North Korean government accountable for these egregious abuses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.