12 2 STA T .39 39 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 3 46—O CT. 7, 200 8PublicLaw1 1 0–346 110 thCongres s A n Act Toamendth e N o r th K orean Hu man Rig ht sAc to f20 0 4 to p romote respect for the fundamenta l human rights of the people of North Korea , and for other purposes .Beit e nac te dby t h e S enate and Hous eo fR e pr esentati v es of the U nited States of Am erica in C on g ress assemb l ed ,SECTION1. S H O R T TIT L E. ThisActmaybe cite d as the ‘ ‘ Nor th K orea nHu man R i g hts Reauthori z ation Act o f20 0 8’ ’ . SEC. 2 . F IN D IN G S. C ongress finds the fo l lo w ing
- (1)
The North Korean Human Rights Act of 200 4 ( P ublic L aw 108 –3 33
22 U . S .C. 7 801 et se q .) (in this section referred to as ‘‘the Act’’) was the p roduct of broad , bipartisan consensus in Congress regarding the promotion of human rights, trans - parency in the deli v ery of humanitarian assistance, and refugee protection. (2) I n addition to the longstanding commitment of the United States to refugee and human rights advocacy, the United States is home to the largest Korean population outside of northeast Asia, and many in the two-million strong Korean- American community have family ties to North Korea. (3) Human rights and humanitarian conditions inside North Korea are deplorable, North Korean refugees remain acutely vulnerable, and the findings in section 3 of the Act remain accurate today. (4) The G overnment of China is conducting an increasingly aggressive campaign to locate and forcibly return border- crossers to North Korea, where they routinely face torture and imprisonment, and sometimes e x ecution. According to recent reports, the Chinese Government is shutting down Chris- tian churches and imprisoning people who help North Korean defectors and has increased the bounty paid for turning in North Korean refugees. ( 5 ) In an attempt to deter escape attempts, the Government of North Korea has reportedly stepped up its public execution of border-crossers and those who help others cross into China. ( 6 ) In spite of the requirement of the Act that the Special E nvoy on Human Rights in North Korea (the ‘‘Special Envoy’’) report to the Congress no later than April 16, 2005, a Special Envoy was not appointed until August 1 9 , 2005, more than four months after the reporting deadline. (7) The Special Envoy appointed by the President has filled that position on a part-time basis only. 2 2 USC7801note. 22 USC 7801 note. N o r t hK ore a n Hum an Rig ht s Reauthori z ation Ac to f 2008. O ct. 7 , 2008 [ H.R. 5 8 34]
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