IBA: Call for Submissions – Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity in North Korean Political Prisons

By

Michael Maya, Director of the North American office for the International Bar Association (IBA), recently announced that the War Crimes Committee is launching an inquiry into crimes against humanity that are allegedly taking place within North Korean political prisons.

The committee is calling for the submission of information by anyone who knows any details that could be relevant to this inquiry.

Michael Maya released the following statement on Friday:

As an unofficial follow-up to the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA), with support from the IBA North America office, will conduct an Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity in North Korean Political Prisons. The Inquiry, the first of its kind to be conducted by a civil society organization, will culminate in an all-day hearing in Washington, D.C. on December 8, 2016, a date selected because of its proximity to UN Human Rights Day.

The Inquiry seeks to advance three goals: (1) to increase awareness of human rights violations in North Korean political prisons, (2) to explore the practical and legal barriers associated with holding the architects and overseers of the political prison system accountable for alleged crimes against humanity, and (3) to provide an example of how an unofficial Inquiry may be used to draw greater attention to past or ongoing human rights tragedies for which accountability has proven elusive, whether in North Korea or elsewhere.

The War Crimes Committee and the North America Office welcome you to submit any information that addresses past or ongoing crimes against humanity in North Korean political prisons. Details about the information being sought are provided in the attached Call for Submissions.

 

Please feel free to share this Call for Submissions with colleagues whom you believe might be in possession of information relevant to this Inquiry.

See the following document for more details :

call-for-submissions-inquiry-on-crimes-against-humanity-in-north-korean-politi

If anyone has any questions they are welcome to contact either Michael (Michael.Maya@int-bar.org) or his colleague Rolands Bogdanovs (Rolands.Bogdanovs@int-bar.org).
Image courtesy of Michael Maya/IBA

  • Members CV
  • 9BRi Lobbying Forum
  • Expertise
  • Events & Calendar