Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Public Hearings

The United Nations-mandated Commission of Inquiry (COI) will hold two days of public hearings to investigate the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The hearings will be part of a series of hearings in the United States and United Kingdom in October 2013, aimed at gathering information from witnesses addressing human rights violations alleged to have occurred in the DPRK.

The COI commissioners, Judge Michael Kirby, UN Special Rapporteur Marzuki Darusman, and Sonja Biserko will conduct public hearings in Washington D.C. on October 30 and 31, facilitated by the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS. The hearings provide an important opportunity for witnesses to share information aimed at raising international awareness about the human rights situation in the DPRK, whose Government has so far declined to grant access into the country to the Commissioners.  Those testifying before the UN panel will include individuals with first-hand accounts of conditions in the DPRK.

• Issues to be covered: Human rights and politics, Gender-based violence, Refugees, Prison camp situation, Access to food, Responsibility to protect
• Confirmed experts to testify: Joe Bermudez, Victor Cha, Roberta Cohen,  Jared Genser, David Hawk, Andrew Natsios , Marcus Noland