Rights group urges China to release North Korean refugees
Whereabouts of eight North Koreans stopped in Shenyang unknown, Human Rights Watch says
China should immediately reveal the whereabouts of eight North Koreans it detained last month, Human Rights Watch said on Monday, adding they risk severe torture if they were returned to the North.
Most North Korean refugees begin their escape by crossing into China and then try to make it to third countries – often in Southeast Asia – where they seek asylum in the South. If caught and returned to the North they can face severe punishment.
China regularly labels North Koreans as illegal “economic migrants” and repatriates them based on a border protocol adopted in 1986.
“By now, there are plenty of survivor accounts that reveal [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un’s administration is routinely persecuting those who are forced back to North Korea,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
The eight North Koreans – including at least four women – were detained by Chinese officials in mid-March after they were stopped for a random check in Shenyang, Liaoning province.
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Human Rights Watch said that based on information from sources it considers usually reliable, the group was still believed to be jailed in China.
