Christian rights groups urges support for UN inquiry into crimes against humanity charges in North Korea

Christian rights groups urges support for UN inquiry into crimes against humanity charges in North Korea   Marshall Ramsey II, Worthy News US Correspondent   08/28/10 UK --  Worthy News has learned that the Christian human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is urging all European Union (EU) foreign ministers to call for the formation of a United Nations (UN) Commission of Inquiry to investigate claims of crimes against humanity in North Korea.  In a letter written to the EU foreign ministers, CSW is claiming that crimes against humanity abound in the country even as three Christians are said to have been executed and several others imprisoned.   CSW reports that prisoners face "dire" living conditions, chronic food shortages, systematic and severe" torture, and "brutal punishments."  They also state that relatives of prisoners are considered guilty by association, putting as many as 200,000 people in danger of being incarcerated in a North Korean prison camp.   "The barbaric system is calculated to cause extreme fatigue and sickness, and refugees have stated that imprisonment in the camps amounts to nothing more than a harsh, drawn-out death sentence," CSW reported.  "Life expectancy in the camps is one to two years -- the same as that in Nazi concentration camps 70 years ago."   Worst persecutors of Christians   The anti-persecution group Open Doors has rated North Korea as the world's worst persecutor of Christians for eight years in a row.  All forms of worship are outlawed in North Korea except for the worship of Kim Jong-il and his late father and predecessor, Kim il-sung.   "A Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity is an essectial step towards justice and an end to impunity, and we urge the EU to support this recommendation and work proactively to achieve it," CSW's National Director Stuart Windsor said.  "The regime in North Korea is committing the most barbaric violations of human rights and it is time that the UN General Assembly took meaningful action to prevent the continuing suffering of the North Korean people."   As many as 400,000 Christians are forced to worship behind closed doors as they face imprisonment, torture, or public execution if the authorities discover their faith.