North Korea: Religious Freedom

(asked on 23rd June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Korea Future Initiative Persecuting Faith: Documenting religious freedom violations in North Korea (Volume I), published on 27 October 2020, what assessment they have made of the account of a pregnant woman being subjected to a forced induction followed by the infant being deliberately suffocated.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 7th July 2021

The UK is deeply concerned by reports, including from Korea Future Initiative, which tell of serious human rights offences and persecution of those who are caught practising religion. Defending the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is a priority for the UK Government and we continue to use international fora to call on the DPRK government to acknowledge and address the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations in the country. We also raise our concerns directly with the DPRK government, including with the DPRK's Ambassador in London.

As regards marking International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, as the FCDO Minister for human rights I made clear on 26 June that we honour the victims and survivors of torture across the world. The UK will always stand up against this cruel practice, working with global partners to end its use and deliver justice for victims.

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