House committee passes reauthorization act on North Korean human rights
U.S. Rep. Young Kim speaks during a meeting with South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho in Seoul, March 25. Yonhap
A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill Thursday to reauthorize and update the 2004 North Korean Human Rights Act aimed at promoting rights and freedom in the reclusive state.
More than a year after its introduction, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs endorsed the bill, raising hopes for its congressional passage this year. It is led by Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Ami Bera (D-CA), the chairperson and the ranking member of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, respectively.
First adopted in 2004, the legislation is updated and reauthorized periodically. It was extended in 2008, 2012 and 2018 with the last extension expiring in September 2022.
"(North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un oppresses the North Korean people through torture, imprisonment, starvation, and forced labor every single day. These gross human rights abuses cannot be tolerated," Kim said in a release posted on Bera's website.
"Holding authoritarian regimes accountable and supporting freedom-loving people trapped under their rule are top priorities of mine as chairwoman of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee," she added.
Bera voiced expectations that the legislation will strengthen the United States' commitment to promoting human rights in the North.
"North Korea's oppressive regime continues to commit heinous human rights abuses against its own people, including arbitrary detention, forced disappearance, torture, and severe restrictions on freedom of religion and belief," Bera was quoted as saying in the release.
The Senate version of the bill has been introduced by Senators Marco Rubio and Tim Kaine.
The bill calls for the promotion of human rights and humanitarian assistance for North Korean people and the increase in the flow of information not controlled by the regime in Pyongyang among other activities. (Yonhap)
相关文章
Sports minister says audits into football, badminton federations set to conclude in Sept.
Yu In-chon (right), minister of culture, sports and tourism, speaks during a plenary session for the2024-09-22- 2018年3月21日上午10时,工商银行青岛分行派出志愿者小分队,参加了由青岛市银行业协会、青岛市保险业协会、青岛市证券期货业协会、青岛财富管理基金业协会以及大众报业集团半岛都市报社共同开展的以&ld2024-09-22
- 现金服务是银行整个金融服务的基础部分,在人们的现实生活中起到非常重要的作用。银行现有的ATM机只能存取小额现金,而且对钞票的识别率较低。为了方便客户、减轻柜面压力,交行青岛李沧二中心支行引进了现金循环2024-09-22
- 针对目前愈演愈烈的银行卡盗刷风险,交通银行最近推出了一项便民服务,那就是在交通银行手机银行APP上可以自助开通“安心付”借记卡,专门用于手机和网络支付,绑定各类APP,并为用户2024-09-22
CrowdStrike outage is still causing hundreds of flight cancellations daily
Three days after a faulty update in cybersecurity company CrowdStrike's software caused a global IT2024-09-22绉戦緳鈥滅櫧闆叕涓烩€濈┖璋冧笂甯 绮惧搧甯冨眬鍐虫垬鏃哄
銆€銆€杩涘叆涓冩湀浠斤紝闅忕潃鍏ㄥ浗楂樻俯澶╂皵鐨勫叏闈㈢垎鍙戯紝绌鸿皟甯傚満鎸佺画浜曞柗銆?鏈?0鏃ワ紝绉戦緳绌鸿皟鏂板搧“鐧介洩鍏富”姝e紡涓婂競锛屼互绮惧搧鍔犵爜鎶㈡2024-09-22
最新评论