UNITED NATIONS – NYT – OCT. 25 , 2014 — Seven months after a groundbreaking report documenting how North Korea tortured and starved its citizens , a broad coalition of countries is pushing for the first time to refer Pyongyang to the International Criminal Court for prosecution of crimes against humanity.
Japan and the European Union circulated a draft resolution last week among United Nations member states that encourages the Security Council to refer North Korea to the tribunal in The Hague; 43 countries have so far signed on in support. The move builds on Secretary of State John Kerry ’s bid last month to raise the profile of rights violations in North Korea by hosting an unusual session devoted to the issue on the sidelines of the General Assembly’s annual conclave.
On Wednesday, the American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, furthered that effort by presenting an award to the chief author of the landmark report, Michael D. Kirby, a retired Australian judge.
The efforts are a breakthrough for human rights advocates who have long urged world powers to scrutinize reported rights abuses in North Korea, and not just focus on its nuclear arms. The momentum has built since the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva called last March for accountability after reviewing Mr. Kirby’s harrowing report.