December 20, 2011 -- New York -- AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights called for the release of prisoners in North Korea following the death of longtime ruler Kim Jong-il.

“North Koreans are arguably the least free people on earth, barely surviving under a regime that denies basic human rights and lets its population starve while it pursues weapons of mass destruction,” said E. Robert Goodkind, Chair of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute. 

The accession of Kim Jong-un as the leader of North Korea, following his father’s death at age 69 last week, offers opportunities “to change this pattern,” said Goodkind. The new regime can advance human rights and end some of the worst practices of abuses committed by the government against its own citizens.

JBI recommends that the Kim Jong-un government:

-- Dismantle the kwan-li-so, political penal labor camps, and release all detained in these and other prison facilities for alleged “political crimes,” including those held for religious activities or belief.

-- End torture and other forms of inhumane treatment or punishment.

-- Improve delivery and monitoring of humanitarian aid in a transparent manner. 

JBI also called on the international community to focus on promoting the stability that comes from improving the human rights conditions of North Koreans, including refugees, and to continue efforts to address nuclear non-proliferation. 

AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, founded in 1971, works to protect human rights and to strengthen international institutions worldwide.

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