Strasbourg, 09/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a common resolution by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, ECR, Greens/EFA and EFD Groups, adopted during the Strasbourg plenary on Thursday 8 July, the European Parliament urges Pyong Yang to put an end to the “ongoing grave, widespread and systematic human rights violations, public executions and extra-judicial executions”, and urges North Korea (DPRK) to abolish the death penalty The EP also calls on the international community to protect North Korean refugees.
MEPs take the view that the EU should appoint an EU special representative on the DPRK to ensure persistent attention and coordination. Also, the North Korean authorities are called upon to carry out a comprehensive investigation on the disappearance of EU nationals and third country nationals who, it is suspected, have been abducted by North Korean state agents during past decades. Finally, the Parliament calls on EU member states to continue granting asylum to North Korean refugees, and on China to stop arresting and returning North Korean refugees to the DPRK. (E.H./transl.jl)