A United Nations committee has called on North Korea to explain the human rights violations in the country and its progress in tackling them.
The U.N. Human Rights Committee (HRC) made the move on Thursday, almost a week after it asked the North to provide information on whether it has taken any steps to address several human rights issues, including torture and violence against women.
Pyongyang should reveal to the HRC now that it has the necessary steps to ensure that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a multilateral U.N. treaty, has taken precedence over the North’s own law in practice.
North Korean officials also need to clarify reports of alleged “shoot to kill” orders issued to stop the coronavirus from entering and spreading in the country, and whether or not people wee hurt or killed.
Countries that have ratified the ICCPR are required to report their progress initially a year into signing the covenant and After that, every four years or so.
