[JURIST] The UN General Assembly on Tuesday urged the Security Council to call on the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] to investigate allegations against North Korea for crimes against humanity. The vote came after the release of a report [materials] in February by the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea, which detailed numerous and “unspeakable” atrocities committed against the country’s people and states that country’s situation is worse than that of any other in “duration, intensity and horror.” The non-binding vote was approved by 111 countries. 19, including China and Russia, voted against it. China, which has veto power, is expected to block the case’s referral. North Korea has not accepted the conclusions of the report and did not cooperate in its drafting.

Human rights in North Korea are not a new concern for the UN. Last week UN Special Rapporteur on the situation in the People’s Republic of Korea Marzuki Darusman said [JURIST report] that the issue of accountability for crimes against humanity in the region remained at the top of the UN’s agenda. Earlier that week Darusman announced [JURIST report] that there is enough evidence to hold North Korean leader Kim Jong Un responsible for “massive” human rights atrocities committed in the country. The UN has sought to investigate and counter alleged human rights abuses in North Korea in the past. The UN Human Rights Council [official website] in March adopted a resolution [JURIST report] urging the UN Security Council to take action against those responsible for documented crimes against humanity in North Korea. In February then-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stated that there can no longer be any excuses for inaction [JURIST report] in North Korea following the release of a UN report. In September the UN Human Rights Commission reported widespread human rights abuses [JURIST report] occurring in the country. Last year Darusman and a group of independent human rights experts announced their support for an international inquiry [JURIST report] into human rights violations in North Korea to bring awareness to the country’s system of political prison camps. Also last year Darusman urged the UNHRC and the General Assembly to investigate human rights violations [JURIST report] in North Korea.