Mwenge wa Uhuru uatua Iringa mjini kwa mbwebe
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
UN office to press N. Korea on human rights in the U.N. High Commissioner.
UN office to press N. Korea on human rights
 |
| This
photo shows a sign for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for
Human Rights at the entrance of a building in Seoul's Jongno-gu, central
Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
The
new U.N. office in Seoul, which will exclusively investigate North
Korea's human rights violations, will facilitate the National Assembly
in passing pending bills to improve Pyongyang's dire human rights
record, according to experts, Tuesday.
They
said such legislative actions will effectively press the Kim Jong-un
regime harder and help in the U.N.'s ongoing fight to end the repressive
regime's crimes against humanity.
"The establishment of a U.N. presence in Seoul means the U.N. will put more pressure on North Korea," said Ko Yoo-hwan, a North Korean studies professor at Dongguk University.
"It also means South Korea will have a higher chance to enact a law to join the U.N.'s fight against Pyongyang."
An Chan-il, the head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies, agreed.
"The National Assembly has dragged on for years passing a bill on protecting Pyongyang's human rights," he said. "With the presence of the U.N. office, it will inevitably become more active and step up its efforts to help North Korean society."
Operated by U.N.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the field office opened at the Seoul Global Center Building in Jongno, Tuesday.
OHCHR chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se joined in a ceremony to mark the establishment of the U.N.'s diplomatic mission. This is the first time that an OHCHR chief has visited South Korea since 2004.
Based in Geneva, the OHCHR has asked North Korea to stop its state-perpetrated violations of human rights in accordance with a report released by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) in February 2014.
The report accused the dictatorial regime of running political prison camps where up to 120,000 people are thought to be detained. It also asked the U.N. Security Council to refer North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
Failing to narrow gaps between the rival parties, the National Assembly, however, has not passed a bill on Pyongyang's inhumane conditions after a related proposal was first made in August 2005. A total of 19 bills on North Korea's human rights have been proposed since then.
The ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy are at odds over whether to pass two pending bills that were submitted to the National Assembly in 2014.
Rep. Shim Jae-kwon of the NPAD and Rep. Kim Young-woo of the Saenuri Party proposed each bill.
Kim's proposal is based on the one introduced in August 2005 by then main opposition lawmaker Kim Moon-soo and 28 other legislators.
The 2005 bill stipulated South Korea's responsibility in defending North Koreans' human rights under the Constitution.
It also called for the establishment of an archive on the reclusive state's deplorable human rights situation and punishment for those who are responsible when the two Koreas are unified.
The Woori party, a predecessor of the NPAD, opposed the idea at that time, saying it could provoke North Korea and freeze inter-Korean relations.
Shim is pushing to give political rights for North Koreans along with humanitarian aid in his bill.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) supported the U.N.'s investigation into Pyongyang's human rights violations, Radio Free Asia reported, Tuesday.
Based on the COI report, the EU and Japan proposed a resolution bill in September, which the U.N. General Assembly approved in December.
North Korea has denied accusations brought by the U.N. In response to the U.N. office in Seoul, North Korea has opted to boycott the Gwangju Summer Universiade slated for July 3-14.
광고
"The establishment of a U.N. presence in Seoul means the U.N. will put more pressure on North Korea," said Ko Yoo-hwan, a North Korean studies professor at Dongguk University.
"It also means South Korea will have a higher chance to enact a law to join the U.N.'s fight against Pyongyang."
An Chan-il, the head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies, agreed.
"The National Assembly has dragged on for years passing a bill on protecting Pyongyang's human rights," he said. "With the presence of the U.N. office, it will inevitably become more active and step up its efforts to help North Korean society."
Operated by U.N.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the field office opened at the Seoul Global Center Building in Jongno, Tuesday.
OHCHR chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se joined in a ceremony to mark the establishment of the U.N.'s diplomatic mission. This is the first time that an OHCHR chief has visited South Korea since 2004.
Based in Geneva, the OHCHR has asked North Korea to stop its state-perpetrated violations of human rights in accordance with a report released by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) in February 2014.
The report accused the dictatorial regime of running political prison camps where up to 120,000 people are thought to be detained. It also asked the U.N. Security Council to refer North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
Failing to narrow gaps between the rival parties, the National Assembly, however, has not passed a bill on Pyongyang's inhumane conditions after a related proposal was first made in August 2005. A total of 19 bills on North Korea's human rights have been proposed since then.
The ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy are at odds over whether to pass two pending bills that were submitted to the National Assembly in 2014.
Rep. Shim Jae-kwon of the NPAD and Rep. Kim Young-woo of the Saenuri Party proposed each bill.
Kim's proposal is based on the one introduced in August 2005 by then main opposition lawmaker Kim Moon-soo and 28 other legislators.
The 2005 bill stipulated South Korea's responsibility in defending North Koreans' human rights under the Constitution.
It also called for the establishment of an archive on the reclusive state's deplorable human rights situation and punishment for those who are responsible when the two Koreas are unified.
The Woori party, a predecessor of the NPAD, opposed the idea at that time, saying it could provoke North Korea and freeze inter-Korean relations.
Shim is pushing to give political rights for North Koreans along with humanitarian aid in his bill.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) supported the U.N.'s investigation into Pyongyang's human rights violations, Radio Free Asia reported, Tuesday.
Based on the COI report, the EU and Japan proposed a resolution bill in September, which the U.N. General Assembly approved in December.
North Korea has denied accusations brought by the U.N. In response to the U.N. office in Seoul, North Korea has opted to boycott the Gwangju Summer Universiade slated for July 3-14.
Abubakari bin Ally acting Chief Sheikh named at dar-es-salaam
Abubakari bin Ally acting Chief Sheikh named
Ulamaa Council of Tanzania has unanimously elected Abubakari Zuberi bin Ally to act as Chief Sheikh for the next three months, in the wake of Mufti Issa Shaaban bin Simba’s death in Dar es Salaam last week. Abubakari Zuberi bin Ally was deputy Chief Sheikh.
Revealing the name of the acting Mufti to journalists and Muslims
at the National Muslim Council of Tanzania (Bakwata) Secretary General,
Suleiman Lolila said acting Mufti Ally will take over the position for
three months as they prepared with procedures to get the Chief Sheikh.
According to him, Ally was elected by Ulamaa Council which has eight members.
“We conducted Ulamaa meeting for seven days to get a person who
will act as a Mufti for ninety days where by yesterday we had a meeting
at Bagamoyo and we voted for Ally to take over the position as acting
Mufti,” he noted.
He explained that, Ally had all the qualities to take over the
position according to Ulamaa Council and also according to BAKWATA’s
constitution.
Speaking after the announcement as acting Mufti, Ally applauded the Sheikhs who elected him to the position.
“We are still mourning the death of our beloved Mufti Simba, I want
to assure you that I will continue doing all good things which he had
left us with”, he said.
He said “I will maintain the unity and peace among Muslims and
cooperate with other leaders hence improve our council and make it
strong”.
Ally said by doing that we will maintain and keep the peace and unity among Muslims and nation at large.
Moreover, the acting Mufti said during his three months he will
amend the constitution in collaboration with Ulamaa Council and other
constitutional experts.
He called upon all Muslims to cooperate and protect the national peace which we are proud of in the country.
“All Muslims should make sure that we protect and maintain the
existing peace that we are blessed with in our country, we have been
witnessed some neighbouring countries going into war where their people
have been fleeing to us, so if we will lose our peace in any means we
will not have anywhere to go to,” he insisted.
For his part Sheikh Hassan Chizenga said Ally has all qualifications to act as Chief Sheikh.
“For a person to be the acting Mufti must be a member of Ulamaa as
well the Sheikh of high level of which Ally has qualified according to
BAKWATA constitution,” he said.
The late Tanzania’s Chief Sheikh (Mufti), Issa Shaaban Bin Simba,
died on 15 June this year at the TMJ Hospital in Dar es Salaam where he
was admitted and treated for diabetes and blood pressure related
problems that he had suffered for a prolonged period.
The late Simba was laid to rest on 16 June at the Nguzonane cemetery in Shinyanga Region.
During the burial ceremony, Kinondoni Municipal Sheikh Mohamed
Muhenga had said Bakwata Constitution says that the acting Mufti is
supposed to be appointed soon after the burial ceremony and the Ulamaa
National Committee within Bakwata is responsible for appointing a
successor.
He had said that committee is the one responsible for appointing the acting Mufti.
However, the committee could only do so after the return from the
burial and would be acting Mufti for 90 days as they prepare the process
for electing the new Mufti.
He noted that those who qualify were allowed to take forms to
enable them to contest for the position soon after the acting Mufti is
nominated.
However, the Mufti is nominated by the Islamic Religion Committee after the 90 days.
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