Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL9734):
Question by Lord ALTON of Liverpool
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that China has engaged in the refoulement of North Korean refugees; and what representations they have made to the government of China about the repatriation of North Korean refugees. (HL9734)
Tabled on: 04 September 2023
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
We are aware of reports of North Korean escapees detained in China. The UK actively promotes the implementation of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. We emphasise directly to the Chinese authorities that they should not be detaining North Korean refugees with the intention of returning them to North Korea. At the 17 August UN Security Council meeting on the human rights situation in the DPRK, the UK called on all states to abide by the principle of non-refoulement.
Date and time of answer: 18 Sep 2023 at 17:31.
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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL9735):
Question by Lord ALTON of Liverpool :
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by UN Special Rapporteur, Elizabeth Salmón, to the UN Human Rights Council in March that “forcibly repatriated individuals are at severe risk of being sent to North Korean political prison camps if they are returned to the North”. (HL9735)
Tabled on: 04 September 2023
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK supports UN Special Rapporteur, Elizabeth Salmón’s remarks about the risks faced by forcibly repatriated North Koreans on return to the DPRK. Despite claims by the DPRK that forcibly repatriated refugees are well treated and reintegrated into DPRK society, it is clear from reports that they are often mistreated by the authorities. The UK actively promotes the implementation of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. We regularly call on all countries to abide by the principle of non-refoulement.
Date and time of answer: 18 Sep 2023 at 17:30.
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