UNITED
NATIONS,
October 28,
updated with video -- When the UN's special
rapporteur on
human rights
in the
Democratic
People's
Republic of
Korea Marzuki
Darusman spoke
at the UN on
October 28, he
said "given
the intrinsic
links between
peace and
security and
human rights
in the Korean
peninsula, in
my view this
Assembly
should also
submit the
report of the
Commission of
Inquiry to the
Security
Council for
its
deliberations
and
appropriate
action."
Inner City
Press asked
Darusman if,
unlike his UN
counterpart on
Iran Ahmed
Shaheed, he
favored
linking human
rights to the
nuclear
issues, and if
he considered
the impact of
sanctions on
residents of
North Korea.
Darusman's
answer was
that the goal
of taking it
to the
Security
Council would
be to seek a
referral to
the
International
Criminal
Court, and
also to put
human rights
into the
Security
Council.
But human
rights as an
issue are
already in the
Security
Council, as
simply the
most recent
example in the
October 27
discussion of
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo.
Darusman went
on to say that
the issues are
linked because
North Korea's
spending on
arms meant
that people
went hungry.
Some would
say, though to
different
degrees, this
applies to
some other
countries,
too.
Rough
transcript:
"The two
objectives of
referring the
report to the
SC is to have
the council
consider
referral to
accountability
mechanisms,
but also to
finally secure
a place for
discussions on
human rights
within the
security
council. In
the case of
DPRK, the
imagery we
have is a
country
chronically
unable to
secure food
for its
population,
but at the
same time able
to build up
its military
capability at
the expense of
denying the
fundamental
right to food.
It’s a direct
link between
human rights
denial and the
security risks
that come out
of a military
build up at
the expense of
a population
unable to feed
itself."
After saying
this, Darusman
asked Inner
City Press,
does this
answer your
question? It
didn't,
particularly
on the impact
of sanctions
-- but aware
that other
journalists
wanted to ask
questions,
Inner City
Press in the
manner of the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
let other ask.
By contrast,
the head of
the old UN
Correspondents
Association
had the first
question
set-aside,
asked an
obvious
question --
does North
Korea want the
ICC language
out of the
draft? -- then
insisted on
similarly
following up.
FUNCA
opposes this.
Update:
FUNCA is also
for
transparency,
and more
rather than
less. Scribes
clustered
around
Darusman
asking about
possible
changes to the
draft of the
co-sponsors,
Japan and the
European
Union.
Darusman
referred to
changes that
would have the
same
consequences,
but might be
more
acceptable. Video here.
The mood of
most of
Darusman's
press
conference was
that he and
the
journalists
were part of a
team, with
Darusman
recounting for
scribes to
re-type what
reclusive
North Koreans
said. Darusman
didn't even
know who he'd
met with, or
only four of
the two
attendees,
Deputy Ri and
Counselor Kim.
He
said he
conveyed their
comments to
the General
Assembly
resolution's
co-sponsors,
contrary to
Shaheed, who
said he has no
involvement in
the draft
resolution on
Iran.
When
Shaheed held
his press
conference at
the UN on
October 27,
Inner City
Press asked
him for an
update on what
he had said
about the
effect of
sanctions and
banning of
Iran from the
SWIFT payments
system which
Inner City
Press asked
him about one
year and three
days earlier,
2013 here
from
Minute 12:29.
On
October 24,
2013, Shaheed
had
acknowledged
that the
banning of
Iran from the
SWIFT payments
system had had
an impact. On
October 27,
2014, Shaheed
said he
believes Iran
is still
banned from
SWIFT, but he
had no update.
Instead he
said that
humanitarian
exemptions to
sanctions are
having
successes. 2014 video here.
But
banning from
SWIFT or
"de-SWIFT-ing"
is not a
targeted
sanction at
all, and he
did not
mention any
exemptions to
it.
Overall, Inner
City Press
asked Shaheed
what impact he
thought "the
nuclear issue"
and the P5 + 1
talks have on
human rights
in Iran.
Shaheed said
he doesn't
like linkage,
but added that
when there's
focus on the
nuclear issue,
it takes away
from the focus
on human
rights.
Last
year Inner
City Press
obtained and
exclusively
published an
internal OHCHR
plan to take
over the "rule
of law"
functions of
the rest of
the UN system,
and the
staffing of
the Special
Representatives
on Children
and Armed
Conflict,
Sexual
Violence and
Conflict, R2P
and the
Prevention of
Genocide.What
has happened
on that? Are
rapporteurs,
like sanctions
monitors,
still not
given any
training or
orientation by
the UN?
Footnote:
on October 27,
the UN
Correspondents
Association
which so often
demands the
first question
be set-aside
for it didn't
even send
anyone to
Shaheed's
press
conference.
One attendee
said, it's
defUNCA-ed, as
in defunct, or
de-UNCA-ed,
like
de-SWIFT-ed.
The new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
present, did
not try to
brand the
press
conference,
because there
was no need.
Watch this
site.
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