August 10 2004

Japanese aid worker Takayuki Noguchi has been released by China after serving an 8-month prison sentence for attempting to assist two Japanese-born North Korean refugees.

At about 9pm on August 9, he arrived in Japan to be greeted by family members, friends and dozens of reporters. Looking thinner, but smiling, Noguchi had an emotional reunion with family members before holding an impromptu press conference.

His mood sobered as he spoke with sorrow of the fate of the North Koreans he had been arrested with. He described how he is haunted by the male refugee's desperate groan of "I'm already dead" when the Chinese police entered their hotel room.

The man was in his 50s and was born in West Japan, but moved to North Korea in the early 1960s. The other refugee was a woman in her 40s who was born in Japan, but was taken to North Korea as a child by her mother who believed the propaganda that North Korea was 'a paradise on earth'.

Tragically, both refugees were repatriated. The man's prediction is sadly realistic, as those returned to North Korea regularly face mistreatment, imprisonment, torture and even execution. Those found to have come into contact with foreigners and aid workers or who have sought to leave the country are treated with particular brutality, with reports of executions in such cases.

Noguchi had been pleading for intervention to secure the protection of the two refugees from repatriation. His sentence arose from his refusal to co-operate with the authorities to secure his own release unless given assurance of their safety.

His case has highlighted, once again, China's abysmal record regarding North Korean refugees. Although a party to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, China refuses to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees access to North Koreans who have escaped into China. Denied the channels to exercise the right to claim asylum, North Koreans live in precarious conditions in China, or are forced to take the dangerous route of seeking to escape to a safe third country.

Many are forcibly repatriated to face harsh punishment at the hands of the brutal North Korean regime.

At the press conference, Noguchi reiterated his commitment to helping North Koreans deprived of their human rights, stating: "I was deprived of my freedom, and I feel that I have experienced a small part of what they live through."

There are a number of other aid workers still detained in China for similar activities. Japanese citizens have fared better than others in similar situations. In May 2003 a court in Yantai sentenced five individuals up to five years in relation to an attempted escape by North Koreans by boat.

CSW had hosted Mr Kato, the Secretary General of Life Funds for North Korean Refugees, the NGO Noguchi works for, on a UK advocacy visit on Noguchi's behalf. The February visit included a number of official meetings, media interviews and a press conference in Parliament at which Mr Kato pleaded for Noguchi's release.

Noguchi had been arrested on human rights day, 10th December 2003, in Nanning in Guangxi. He was tried on 28th June and sentenced to eight months imprisonment. As time served already counted, he was released on 9th August and immediately deported.

Stuart Windsor, CSW's National Director, said: "We rejoice with Mr Noguchi that he has his freedom after his courageous stand for human rights in China. However we are appalled by China's callous cruelty in sending back refugees to such brutal fates. When will the international community stand up and address the horrific way North Korea treats returned refugees and the guilt of China's complicity in these terrible crimes?"

CSW is a human rights charity working on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs. We also promote religious liberty for all.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
More information on Life Funds for North Korean Refugees is available at www.northkoreanrefugees.com, or through contacting the organization at nkkikin@hotmail.com or on (phone and fax) 81 3 3815 8127.