UNHCR protests Chinese deportation of North Koreans
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said it has protested to the Chinese government over the deportation of seven individuals to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), where they could face severe reprisals.
UNHCR last month recognised the seven as refugees, including a 13-year-old boy, after they made their way from North Korea to Russia, across Chinese territory. The refugee agency informed both the Chinese and the Russian governments about its decision to grant them refugee status. It also expressed readiness to resettle the group in a third country. But despite UNHCR's pleas, Russia deported the seven to China on December 30.
UNHCR then appealed to Chinese authorities to refrain from sending them back to North Korea. But on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry told UNHCR that the refugees had been sent to North Korea. The ministry did not specify when they were deported or how it happened.
"We are gravely concerned by the Chinese decision to deport people whom UNHCR has recognised as refugees under the 1951 Refugee Convention," said High Commissioner Sadako Ogata. She also urged the North Korean authorities to treat the seven deported refugees humanely.
Both China and Russia are signatories of the 1951 Convention - the cornerstone of international refugee law, which clearly bans "refoulement," or forcible return of refugees to areas where they could face danger or persecution.
In a letter sent to the Chinese government on Wednesday, UNHCR protested the violation of the 1951 Convention and fundamental humanitarian principles.
UNHCR has been in regular contact with Chinese authorities over the past two years in an effort to address the issue of North Koreans in China, some of whom definitely meet the criteria for refugee status.
UNHCR strongly urges China to refrain from fresh deportations of North Koreans in the future.
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2003 Global Refugee Trends: Overview of refugee populations, new arrivals, durable solutions, asylum seekers and other persons of concern to UNHCR
15 Jun 2004 ... Population (mln.) Refugees Total Refugee population by UNHCR ... 9,671,800 -8.8% * Excluding North Africa. ** Central Asia, South ... 38 - - - 1,691 1,837 Rep. of Korea 25 139 - - - - 164 Singapore 1 ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2005 - East Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview
1 Dec 2004 ... ... and facilitate durable solutions for North Koreans of concern to UNHCR. With regard to ... The Office will further pursue accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention in Mongolia and the ...... -
Pre-ExCom Consultations with NGOs: Provisional List of Participants
20 Sep 2002 ... ... Heather Jane Travis CITIZENS' ALLIANCE FOR NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS (KOREA) Mr. Won-Woong Lee COMITE BELGE ... Fatoumata Doumbouya DANCHURCH AID (DENMARK) Mrs. Janie Eriksen DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL ...... -
Report on the 2004 Annual Consultations with NGOs, 28-30 September 2004
30 Sep 2004 ... ... to the North Koreans in China, and possibly how to influence the situation inside North Korea itself. ... atmosphere in Australia provides an opportunity for constructive engagement on refugee issues. ...... -
Closing Statement by Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the Fifty-fifth Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme (ExCom), Geneva, 8 October 2004
8 Oct 2004 ... than specifically providing for their exclusion from refugee protection, as they actually do. ... I use the example of North Koreans and allow myself to say 'how can we be sure there are no refugees ...... -
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1 Dec 2011 ... office, Oddusudan, Mullaitivu district, north- east Sri Lanka. ... representing almost 30 per cent of the global refugee population. ... Republic of Korea 1,749,066 1,905,442 188,402 0 0 2,093,844 ...... -
Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries, First Half 2011: Statistical Overview of Asylum Applications Lodged in Europe and Selected Non-European Countries
18 Oct 2011 ... ... First half 2011 in review 17% 13% 57% 6,300 5,100 11% 27% In North America, an ... In Japan and the Republic of Korea, almost 1,300 persons requested refugee status during the first half of 2011, more ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2015 - Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional summary
1 Jun 2016 ... UNHCR’s main priority in the Middle East and North Africa. ... reinforcing registration and refugee status determination; ... Private donors in Republic of Korea 100,765 1,285,034 1,385,799 ...... -
UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2005 - Chapter IV: Asylum and Refugee Status Determination
8 May 2007 ... This chapter looks at the various components forming the refugee ... While the 38 industrialized countries 1 located in Europe, North ... New Zealand, the Rep. of Korea and the United States (see ......