This came in to my inbox last Friday and i should have posted last Friday but I did not think of it.
If anyone is in the new york city area today and has some time, you can stop by the united nations visitor center and meet two North Korean defectors and listen to their testimonies.
Blow is the email.
Dear Friends:
Thank you to all of you who signed our online petition and spread the word to other American citizens and friends about the Reauthorization of the North Korea Human Rights Act. I am pleased to report to you that North Korea Freedom Coalition members visited all Senate offices last Friday and your appeals were hand delivered to every Senate office. We are so grateful to Jason West for assembling the NKFC letter to the Senators with the names of the petitioners for each state. Thank you to Grace Jacobsen and Sam with ICC,Mary Lynn Qurnell, Tara O, Bob Thompson, Hannah Jeong, a volunteer representative with the Divided Families-USA, and Tori Blymier. Because of their help we were able to visit every Senate office with your appeals in support of human rights for North Koreans.
The bill was marked up yesterday afternoon and unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and we hope the Senate will vote soon. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said, “The committee’s action shows that Congress and the administration stand united against the rogue North Korean regime. These bills support a comprehensive U.S. approach and will help the administration address the most acute threat to global security at this time. I appreciate the work of the bill sponsors and am hopeful the full Senate will approve these measures in the near future.”
And now for some events coming up next week:
For those in the NYC area, the US Mission to the United Nations will host a side event on Monday at the UN focusing on China’s treatment of North Korea refugees featuring two North Korean women with powerful testimonies. “North Korea Human Rights: The Terrifying Experiences of Forcibly Repatriated North Korean Women” will be held Monday, December 11, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in UN Conference Room 1 United Nations. RSVP is required by COB today to Julie Turner, Foreign Affairs Officer at turnerje@state.gov
For those in the Washington DC area, Michael Maya, Director of the International Bar Association’s North America Office, invites you on behalf of the IBA’s War Crimes Committee to the launch of a report on the findings of a nearly two-year Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity in North Korean Political Prisons. The Inquiry Report finds reasonable grounds to conclude that Kim Jong-un and members of his regime have committed ten of the eleven crimes against humanity enumerated in the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the International Criminal Court (ICC). The event will be held at the National Press Club from 9:30-10:45am on Tuesday, December 12 . To register, please click HERE
Congressman Chris Smith, Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations has scheduled a hearing on “Protecting North Korean Refugees” on Tuesday, December 12 at 2 pm in Rayburn 2200, Capitol Hill. Witnesses include Ambassador Robert King, former Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights and Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, and yours truly. I am working to ensure that a North Korean defector will also be testifying.
Two Critically Important Action Items needing your time, talent and treasure:
Funding, Translation Support Needed for Defector to Testify in Congress: We need support to pay for the airfare and accommodations of a female defector from Seoul we are hosting to testify in the Congressional hearing. We also need logistical assistance especially Korean translators. This is someone we all dearly love: Han Ga Hee is coming to testify about North Korean refugees and the importance of information outreach to North Korea. If you can help Ms. Han with financial support or logistical support, send me an email ASAP, and I will provide more details.
Free North Korea Radio Christmas Broadcast: We are once again expanding the broadcast of Free North Korea Radio for an additional 7 days of extended broadcast beginning on Christmas Eve. If you can support our special Christmas broadcast to the people of North Korea, please send donations to: DFF, 3014 Castle Road, Falls Church, Virginia, 22044 – one hundred percent of your donation is tax deductible and one hundred percent goes directly to support FNKR’s broadcast and staff. You can also donate on line atwww.defenseforumfoundation.org
Acta Non Verba
Suzanne
Suzanne Scholte
Seoul Peace Prize Laureate
President, Defense Forum Foundation
Chair, North Korea Freedom Coalition
No comments:
Post a Comment