Human rights group urges China not to repatriate 8 N.K. defectors

SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- An international human rights agency on Monday called on China not to repatriate eight North Korean defectors who were detained by Chinese authorities last month, saying that they are in need of urgent protection.

They were detained in mid-March during what was believed to be a random check on a road in northeastern areas, according to Human Rights Watch.

"China should immediately disclose the whereabouts of eight North Korean refugees currently detained in China, publicly pledge that none of them will be returned to North Korea, and provide them with asylum or allow departure to a third country of their choice," the agency said on its Website.

It said that North Koreans facing involuntary repatriation are at the risk of human rights violations such as torture and even public executions, "making them refugees in the need of urgent protection."

North Korea has long been labeled one of the worst human rights violators in the world. The North does not tolerate dissent, holds hundreds of thousands of people in political prison camps and keeps tight control over outside information.

"The government in Beijing should respect its obligations under the Refugee Convention by protecting these eight North Koreans, and under no circumstances force them back to North Korea," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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