"No Repatriation of Defectors to North Korea"…17 Human Rights Organizations Send Letter to Xi Jinping

17 Human Rights Organizations and Key Figures from 17 Countries... Letter to President Xi
Including Former UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights Quintana
"Stop Forced Repatriation of Defectors and Implement Refugee Recognition Procedures"

Human rights organizations from 17 countries have called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors residing in China ahead of the opening of the 'Hangzhou Asian Games' on the 23rd. This open letter, sent to international organizations and heads of state, is expected to put significant pressure on the Chinese government due to its unprecedented scale of signatures and the participation of numerous groups from Europe and Southeast Asia, in addition to South Korea and the United States.

According to a compilation of reports by Asia Economy on the 21st, an open letter opposing the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors was sent to President Xi Jinping that morning. The letter was signed by 54 human rights organizations from 17 countries including South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Canada, as well as seven prominent figures in the field of North Korean human rights. Notable signatories include the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea Marzuki Darusman, former UN Special Rapporteur Thomas Ojea Quintana, former UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) member Sonja Biserko, and former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Lee Yang-hee.

Kim Jong-un of North Korea (left) and Xi Jinping, President of China
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the letter, the organizations stated, "We are sending this letter to express our concern over the resumption of the policy of forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China, which had been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic," and added, "We are worried about the possibility of forced repatriation of approximately 2,000 North Korean detainees in China due to the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games on the 23rd and North Korea's border reopening."

They particularly recalled the 2014 finding by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea that "North Korean authorities committed crimes against humanity against those forcibly repatriated from China," emphasizing that "North Korean defectors face torture, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and may even be at risk of execution, forced abortion, and infanticide after repatriation."

The organizations also criticized the Chinese government for arbitrarily detaining and holding North Korean defectors who are at risk of forced repatriation due to North Korea's border reopening, despite China being a party to the UN Refugee Convention and Protocol, which explicitly prohibit forced repatriation, as well as the Convention Against Torture. They pointed out that the Chinese government remains silent even about the status of defectors despite international concerns.

Defectors from North Korea reenact the Chinese government's repatriation of defectors at a rally held in Seoul in 2008. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The Chinese government does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees but considers them illegal immigrants for "economic reasons." Despite the high risk of detention, torture, and execution after repatriation, China denies these risks. This policy has been criticized for exposing defectors to human rights abuses even before repatriation. Because they must hide their identities, they suffer from crimes such as human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage.

Typically, open letters related to 'North Korean human rights' issues have often been led by South Korean organizations, but this time, except for nine out of the 54 signatories, the majority were overseas organizations and individuals. Southeast Asian groups, which rarely appear in North Korean human rights discussions, also raised their voices. This is expected to be a considerable pressure on the Chinese government ahead of the international event, the Asian Games.

Shin Hee-seok, former legal analyst at the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), said, "As a party to the relevant conventions, the Chinese government must stop the repatriation of North Korean defectors in China and implement procedures to grant them refugee status," adding, "We appeal to President Xi Jinping's conscience so that the Chinese government can officially suspend the forced repatriation policy, just as the official slogan of the Hangzhou Asian Games says, 'When hearts connect, there is a future.'"

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