USCIRF Releases Report Highlighting Religious Freedom Violations in North Korea

USCIRF Releases Report Highlighting Religious Freedom Violations in North Korea

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report titled “Organized Persecution: Documenting Religious Freedom Violations in North Korea.”

North Korea Report - This report documents the North Korean government’s religious freedom violations based on primary information gathered over the past year from in-person interviews with North Korean defectors who are survivors, witnesses, and perpetrators of these violations. The latter of which were former North Korean government officials who provided unique insights into these religious freedom violations. The report assesses the organizational structure of religious freedom violations; the associated methods of enforcing compliance; and specific forms of violations, torture, and mistreatment experienced by religion and belief adherents. It finds that the North Korean government’s policy of absolute denial of religious freedom has led to systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of this right.

USCIRF will be holding a virtual webinar to launch the report today at 11:00 AM ET. Please register for this event here.

###

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].