April 23 2004

A man arrested in China for trying to help other North Koreans escape, faces being returned to North Korea where he will face almost certain torture and death.

Mr Park Yong-chol is a North Korean who was arrested on January 18 2003 in relation to the attempted escape of North Korean refugees by boat. On May 22 2003 a court in Yantai in Shandong Province sentenced him and four others to terms of imprisonment. Mr Park received a sentence of two years imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 RMB ('240).

It appears that Mr Park may now be released on May 1. He has expressed his absolute terror at the approach of his release date as he believes he will be repatriated to North Korea, which he describes as a death sentence. Those returned with much lesser offences have been subject to horrific torture and execution.

Mr Park is currently in Wei Fang Prison, Shandong Province in eastern China. His co-defendant Mr Choi Yong-hun was also transferred to this prison in mid January 2004. He is a South Korean and has been sentenced to five years. His case has received some attention in South Korea and he has been able to send letters to his family. In a recent letter to his wife he indicated Mr Park's possible release on May 1 and asked for intervention on his behalf. He states that the thought of Mr Park's repatriation torments him so badly that he himself sometimes contemplates suicide.

In a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Ruud Lubbers, the humanitarian organisation Life Funds For North Korean Refugees, whom Mr Choi had appealed to for help, stated: '[Mr Park's] repatriation to North Korea is already arranged, so his release from the Chinese prison means a sure death sentence'.

CSW has asked its supporters to write urgent letters and faxes to the Chinese authorities in order to stop Mr Park from being returned to North Korea. CSW has also been lobbying in many ways, including at the United Nations to secure his safety. CSW is calling on China to recognise the refugee status of North Korean refugees in line with China's obligations under the 1951 UN refugee convention.

Alexa Papadouris, CSW Advocacy Director, said: "China is making herself an accomplice to terrible inhumanity and violence if she sends Mr Park back to North Korea. CSW is calling on the international community to speak up for him before it is too late."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

China is in breach of its obligations under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This goes beyond flagrant violation to even punishing those who provide the protection that it is obligated to guarantee.

Despite the harshness of the Chinese treatment of refugees, there are aid workers and missionaries who risk their own safety to shelter North Koreans. Moved by compassion, they provide shelter and food to protect those arriving in China. However, China is determined to eliminate the refugee situation and has staged a crackdown in the border region.

Part of the strategy is to destroy the network that provides humanitarian care to the North Koreans. Thus, China has offered rewards for information on the aid workers along the China/North Korea border and arrested and sentenced many who have sheltered and escorted escapees.