MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on North Korea
19.1.2016 - (2016/2521(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Mark Demesmaeker, Raffaele Fitto, Angel Dzhambazki, Monica Macovei, Ruža Tomašić, Jana Žitňanská, Anna Elżbieta Fotyga, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Ryszard Czarnecki, Karol Karski, Tomasz Piotr Poręba on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0083/2016
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on North Korea,
- having regard to the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, of 6 January 2016 on the alleged nuclear test in DPRK,
- having regard to the UN Secretary-General's statement of 6 January 2016 on the Nuclear Test announced by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
- having regard to the UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874(2009), 2087(2013) and 2094(2013) which explicitly ban nuclear tests by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
- having regard to the UN Secretary-General's 2009 Report (A/63/677) on implementing the responsibility to protect where the international community has a responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other means to protect populations who have suffered from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, where the international community must be prepared to take collective action to protect populations in accordance with the Charter of United Nations.
- having regard to the UN General Assembly resolution of 17 December 2015 on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
- having regard to the UN report "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 2015: Needs and Priorities" of 1 April 2015,
- having regard to the UN Human Rights Council resolution of 27 March 2015 on the Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
- having regard to the report of the Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of 7 February 2014,
- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to all of which the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a party,
- having regard to the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
- having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016, the Government of the DPRK announced that it had conducted successful nuclear tests – which came after the North was sanctioned by the UN for launching rockets;
B. whereas the DPRK withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, whereas the pursuit of illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes constitutes a challenge to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and risks aggravating regional tensions;
C. whereas the country, with its military-focused economy, is far from achieving its stated goal of becoming a strong and prosperous nation and has instead increasingly isolated and impoverished its people through its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery;
D. whereas the EU strongly supports the idea of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, and considers the resumption of the Six-Party Talks to be essential for peace, security and stability in the region;
E. whereas the DPRK regime has not cooperated with the UN and has rejected all UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly resolutions regarding human rights in North Korea; whereas it has failed to cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the country, and has rejected all assistance from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;
F. whereas the European Union is a defender and promoter of human rights and democracy in the world; whereas the EU-DPRK human rights dialogue resumed in 2015 after being suspended by the DPRK since 2003;
G. whereas in February 2014, the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (COI) concluded in its report that Pyongyang’s human rights abuses are “without any parallel in the contemporary world” and found “an almost complete denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, as well as of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, information, and association.”
H whereas the government tightly controls all political and religious expression and activities, and it punishes those who question the regime; whereas individuals secretly engaging in religious activities are subject to arrest, torture, imprisonment in penal labor camps, and sometimes execution.
I whereas the DPRK Government does not allow any political opposition, free and fair elections, free media, religious freedom, freedom of association, collective bargaining or freedom of movement;
J. whereas the DPRK state authorities systematically perpetrate extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention and disappearances, including in the form of abductions of foreign nationals, interning more than 100 000 people in prison and ‘re-education’ camps;
K. whereas the people of the DPRK have been exposed to decades of under-development, with poor health care and high levels of maternal and child malnutrition, in a context of political and economic isolation, recurrent natural disasters and international increases in food and fuel prices;
1. Strongly condemns the fourth nuclear test of 6 January 2016 as an unnecessary and dangerous provocation as well as a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and serious threat to the peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the North East Asian Region; supports meaningful and effective sanctions following the recent nuclear test to be decided upon by the international community;
2. Urges the DPRK to refrain from further provocative actions by abandoning its nuclear weapon and missile programmes in a verifiable and irreversible manner, cease all related activities and comply with all its international obligations, including the UN Security Council and IAEA board of governors resolutions as well as other international disarmament and non-proliferation norms; calls on the DPRK to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty without delay;
3. Calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to exert its influence over the DPRK to ensure that the situation does not escalate further; calls on the Chinese government to faithfully join the international sanctions regime against the DPRK and fully co-operate with members of the Security Council as a leading country in Asia;
4. Welcomes the UN General Assembly resolution of 17 December 2015 on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which was supported by all the EU Member States; calls on the EU and it Member States to continue to address the grave human rights situation in the DPRK;
5. Calls on VP /HR Federica Mogherini to monitor the further developments in the DPRK and to report back to the European Parliament;
6. Is convinced that the time has come for the international community to take concrete action to end the perpetrators’ impunity; demands that those most responsible for the crimes against humanity committed in the DPRK be held accountable, brought before the International Criminal Court and subjected to targeted sanctions;
7. Calls on the Government of the DPRK to fulfil its obligations under the human rights instruments to which it is a party, and to ensure that humanitarian organisations, independent human rights monitors and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK have access to the country and are provided with the necessary cooperation;
10. Expresses its particular concern about the severity of the food situation the country is facing and its impact on the economic, social and cultural rights of the population;
Calls on the Commission to maintain existing humanitarian aid programmes and channels of communication with the DPRK; calls on the DPRK authorities to ensure access for all citizens to food and humanitarian assistance on the basis of need, in accordance with humanitarian principles;
11. Calls for a follow-up UN inquiry within five years to track the findings of the 2014 report by the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and assess any new developments;
12. Encourages the EU, together with the international community, to play a constructive role in urgently addressing the dire human rights situation in North Korea;
13. Urges the Chinese government, in accordance with its obligations as a state party to the UN Refugee Convention, not to deny North Korea refugees who cross the border into China their right to seek asylum or forcibly return them to North Korea, but to protect their fundamental human rights; calls on the EU to exert diplomatic pressure to that extent.
14. Calls upon the DPRK to continue to engage constructively with international interlocutors with a view to promoting concrete improvements in the human rights situation on the ground, including through dialogues, official visits to the country and more people-to-people contact;
15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the EU Special Representative on Human Rights, the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Government of the Republic of Korea, the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, and the UN Secretary-General.