MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on North Korea
19.1.2016 - (2016/2521(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Pier Antonio Panzeri, Josef Weidenholzer, Victor Boştinaru, Knut Fleckenstein, Richard Howitt, Ana Gomes, Eric Andrieu, Nikos Androulakis, Zigmantas Balčytis, Hugues Bayet, Brando Benifei, José Blanco López, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Simona Bonafè, Biljana Borzan, Nicola Caputo, Andrea Cozzolino, Andi Cristea, Viorica Dăncilă, Isabella De Monte, Jonás Fernández, Monika Flašíková Beňová, Doru-Claudian Frunzulică, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg, Neena Gill, Michela Giuffrida, Maria Grapini, Roberto Gualtieri, Jytte Guteland, Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto, Anna Hedh, Cătălin Sorin Ivan, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Eva Kaili, Jude Kirton-Darling, Jeppe Kofod, Javi López, Olle Ludvigsson, Andrejs Mamikins, Costas Mavrides, Marlene Mizzi, Sorin Moisă, Csaba Molnár, Alessia Maria Mosca, Victor Negrescu, Momchil Nekov, Demetris Papadakis, Vincent Peillon, Tonino Picula, Miroslav Poche, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Daciana Octavia Sârbu, Siôn Simon, Tibor Szanyi, Claudia Tapardel, Marc Tarabella, Marita Ulvskog, Julie Ward, Flavio Zanonato, Damiano Zoffoli, Carlos Zorrinho on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0083/2016
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),
- 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 (DPRK) is a party,
- having regard to the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013) and 2094 (2013),
- having regard to the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
- having regard to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols,
- 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 Human Rights Council resolution of 26 March 2014 and 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 Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which was established on 21 March 2013 by the UN Human Rights Council,
- having regard to the report of 1 February 2013 by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Marzuki Darusman,
- having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the VPC/HR Mogherini and the UN Security Council condemned the DPRK’s nuclear test conducted on 6 January 2016 which poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security;
B. whereas the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery represents a threat to international peace and security; whereas the DPRK withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, has been conducting nuclear tests since 2006 and officially declared in 2009 that it had developed a nuclear weapon; 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 this does not serve the DPRK’s claimed objective of improving its security; 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 Korean Peninsula has already faced tensions and military confrontation for decades; 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 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 UN Commission of Inquiry (CoI) investigated ‘the systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights’ in North Korea and released a report on 7 February 2014; whereas the Commission of Inquiry recommends that the UN Security Council should refer the situation in the DPRK to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for action in accordance with the court's jurisdiction;
G. whereas the European Union is a defender and promoter of human rights and democracy in the world; whereas the EU-DPRK human rights dialogue was suspended by DPRK since 2003; whereas the EU-DPRK held Political Dialogue in June 2015;
H. 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; whereas the justice system is subservient to the state, while the death penalty is in force for a broad range of crimes against the state and is extended periodically under the criminal code, with citizens, including children, being forced to witness public executions; 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 200 000 people in prison and ‘re-education’ camps;
I. 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; whereas large parts of the population suffer from starvation and are, to a large extent, dependent on international food aid; whereas mass food shortages and famine have significant implications for a wide spectrum of human rights; whereas tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to China and other neighbouring countries, leaving their country because of widespread hunger and repression;
1. Strongly condemns the nuclear test by DPRK on 6 January 2016, which constitutes a grave violation of its international obligations under the UN Security Council resolutions and of the non-proliferation regime; urges DPRK to refrain from further provocative actions by suspending all activities related to its ballistic missile programme and abandoning, in a complete and irreversible manner the existing nuclear programmes; calls on the DPRK to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty without delay and to comply with the relevant UNSC resolutions;
2. Expects the further strengthening of sanctions by the UN Security Council following the most recent nuclear test; calls on the DPRK to choose a constructive path by engaging with the international community, which would be conducive to regional stability and improve the welfare of the North Korean people;
3. Urges the DPRK to re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launches and to re-join the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy;
4. Affirms its desire for a diplomatic and political solution to the DPRK nuclear issue; reiterates its support for the Six-Party Talks and calls for their resumption; urges all the participants in the Six-Party Talks to intensify their efforts; calls on the DPRK to re-engage constructively with the international community, and in particular the members of the Six-Party Talks, in order to work towards lasting peace and security on a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and as the best means to secure a more prosperous and stable future for the DPRK;
5. Calls on the People’s Republic of China – a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the DPRK’s main trading ally – to exert its influence over the DPRK to ensure that the situation does not escalate further, and notes the support of the People’s Republic of China for UN Security Council resolution 2094 (2013); notes the consensus among the members of the UN Security Council reacting to the recent nuclear test by the DPRK;
6. 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;
7. Reiterates its strong condemnation of the decade-long state repression exercised in a systematic manner by the present and past Supreme Leaders of the DPRK and the administration, and calls on the DPRK to put an immediate end to the grave, widespread and systematic human rights violations perpetrated against its own people;
8. 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;
9. 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. Calls on the government to declare a moratorium on all executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty in the near future; calls on the DPRK to put an end to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, to release political prisoners and to allow its citizens to travel freely, both within and outside the country; calls on the DPRK to allow free expression and press freedom for national and international media, and to allow its citizens uncensored access to the internet;
11. 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, and to secure their safe delivery to the targeted parts of the population; 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;
12. Urges the authorities of the DPRK to hand over all information on third-country nationals, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, suspected to have been abducted by North Korean state agents during the past decades, and to return those abductees still being held to their home countries immediately.
13. 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 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.