General Assembly Calls for Referral of North Korea's Case to International Criminal Court

On Thursday, December 27, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution urging the Security Council to refer North Korea's human rights record to the International Criminal Court. The case against North Korea stems from a "report released by the UN earlier this year on crimes against humanity in the country" and would be referred to the ICC if approved by the Security Council. According to Reuters, 116 member countries voted in favor of the resolution, 20 voted against, and 53 abstained. The resolution was prepared by the European Union and Japan and was approved last month in the UN Human Rights Committee. The ICC investigates issues such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. A report by the UN Commission of Inquiry published in February states that North Korea commits extensive human rights violations comparable to the Nazi era through the establishment of detention camps, systematic torture, starvation, and killings. The report indicates that political prisoners in North Korea either disappear or are imprisoned, facing conditions such as torture, rape, starvation, forced labor, deprivation of reproductive rights or abortion, and ultimately execution. The UN General Assembly resolution, which has 193 member countries, also calls on the Security Council to impose sanctions against police chiefs and those involved in crimes against humanity in North Korea. This vote increases political pressure on the Pyongyang government, but it is largely symbolic and lacks enforceability. The North Korean representative at the UN stated that his country "completely" rejects the resolution, calling it the result of "a political conspiracy and confrontation." He added that Pyongyang is ready to negotiate for cooperation in human rights compliance. Reuters notes that the ICC is unlikely to take the initiative in investigating North Korea's case, as China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is likely to veto the resolution. Diplomats have indicated that North Korea has the support of China and Russia. The resolution also condemns human rights violations in Iran, Syria, and Myanmar. Although UN General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they can significantly influence global opinion. Representatives from Syria and Iran have expressed their objections to the resolution. The Iranian representative described the resolution as political, biased, and unbalanced. The UN human rights representative for Iran, who has not been allowed to enter the country in recent years, has referred to the issue of "widespread executions" as a "high-level warning" in his reports. The resolution calls on Iran to stop human rights violations, including torture, gender discrimination, and targeting activists and journalists. However, the Iranian representative claims that the resolution ignores the "positive progress" (in human rights) in Iran since Hassan Rouhani took office. The human rights resolution against Syria also strongly condemns Bashar al-Assad's regime for violence against the people of that country.