The privilege of sharing first-hand testimonies with UN policy makers

There are so many issues that we want to share with UN policy makers, so I’m used to having a very packed schedule at the HRC – but this time it was even busier than usual. Over the course of the Council session we spoke at nine different dialogues and debates, submitted two written statements, held formal meetings with country representatives from nine different countries, and met informally with representatives from many other countries as well.

Encouraging endorsements

Thanks to the Special Consultative Status which CSW was granted in April 2017, and which so many of you faithfully prayed for, we are now able to host seminars and panel discussions of our own timing and choosing at the UN, as well as participate in those organised by other NGOs. So in March we hosted a side event on North Korea in partnership with the Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB). The event was subsequently supported by Human Rights Watch and endorsed by the permanent missions of two UN Member States, Poland and the Netherlands. (Permanent missions to the UN are essentially country embassies comprised of representatives who are based at the UN and act on behalf of their respective countries.) It was hugely encouraging to receive endorsements from these countries for the first time and to have the Ambassador of Poland and Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands speak at the event. But the real highlight was hearing the testimony of Heyeona Ji, a North Korean Christian currently living in South Korea. Ms Ji shared her moving experiences of life as a Christian in North Korea, and called on UN representatives to take concrete action to address human rights abuses in her homeland. While no written summary could possibly do justice to her powerful address, I will share a few of her experiences.

Forced to deny Christ three times

Ms Ji has been living in South Korea since 2007, after escaping from North Korea for the fourth time. Between 1998 and 2007 she fled the country three times, but was repatriated three times. During this time she endured unimaginable suffering, including torture, human trafficking and forced abortion. Ms Ji spoke of the sorrow and shame she felt following each of her interrogations. Every time she was repatriated, she would be made to answer a series of questions about her involvement with the Christian faith. She knew that if she offered even the slightest indication that she believed in Christ, she would be sent to a political prison camp or, worse still, executed. Like the Apostle Peter, she found herself denying Christ three times, and felt the same emptiness, regret and pain that he must have experienced. It is such a privilege for me not only to hear deeply moving testimonies like that of Ms Ji, but also to be able to share them on a global platform, with policy makers who have the power to influence real change around the world. We’re continuing to press for the UN to take strong action on North Korea, to improve conditions for the countless ordinary citizens like Ms Ji who suffer repeated horrific abuses of their human rights.

Pray that the UN representatives who heard Ms Ji’s testimony would be moved by what they heard, and would prioritise addressing religious freedom violations in North Korea.