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NORTHEAST ASIA

Preventing further harm to North Korean soldiers in Russia
Since Russia began its siege of Ukraine in 2020, many foreigners have been drawn into the conflict, including a small number of Southeast Asians who “volunteered” as mercenaries and an even larger number of Nepalis lured into enlistment through promises of high wages and fast-tracked citizenship.
But the stakes are especially high for North Koreans, of whom at least 11,000 have been deployed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to fight alongside Russian forces in a show of support for one of its only two allies (the other being China).
Concerned that Ukraine might forcibly repatriate North Korean prisoners of war, a coalition of civic groups has written to President Volodymyr Zelensky to grant them asylum – and to gather evidence about the atrocities committed by both Russia and North Korea in preparation for possible prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the ongoing Ukraine siege.
“As you precisely explained, Russia and North Korea execute wounded North Korean soldiers to erase any evidence of North Korea’s involvement, but it is only a matter of time before more are captured,” the groups led by the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights said in a Jan. 23 letter.
FAST FACTS
- The letter comes on the heels of the release of video footage of two North Korean soldiers captured alive in Kursk, in western Russia, providing the most tangible evidence so far of North Korean military involvement in the war despite denials from both Russia and North Korea.
- Reports of North Korean soldiers joining the war first emerged in October, when Ukrainian media reported the deaths of at least six North Korean soldiers during a drone strike on Russian positions in the Donetsk region.
- Apart from soldiers, Pyongyang also allegedly shipped artillery rounds, ballistic missiles and anti-tank rockets to Russia since August 2024, prompting South Korea to conclude that there was a “direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.”
- The totalitarian regime is known for its isolationist stance, acknowledging only China and Russia as its closest allies. Observers believe that North Korea is sending troops as a long-term investment.
- North Korea, already facing allegations of crimes against humanity for how it treats its own citizens in its homeland, is also accused of desecrating their dead to erase evidence of their involvement in the war.
ACTIONS SOUGHT
The groups have asked Zelensky to:
- Observe the principle of non-refoulement and to make sure that the North Koreans are not repatriated back to their homeland if they so wished;
- Not disclose the identities of other North Korean prisoners of war; and
- Collect information and evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both Russia and North Korea.
SOUTHEAST ASIA

Preventing the misuse of an anti-historical revisionism law
From 1975 to 1979, Cambodia endured the brutal Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot, which led to the deaths of millions of people. Five decades on, the country has approved a draft law imposing stricter penalties on denial of these atrocities.
Critics, however, fear this law could be misused to suppress dissent, as the current government is known for using laws against its critics.
“Opposition politicians have often criticized Hun Sen and the ruling CPP of being too close to Vietnam, which did install the party after the invasion in 1978. It’s the type of politicking that does work with Khmers who have a long-held distrust of the Vietnamese,” a Cambodian academic told UCA News.
Chhang Youk, executive director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia and Khmer Rouge survivor, said that what Cambodia needed instead was a law that ensured the prevention of genocide.
FAST FACTS
- The Khmer Rouge takeover, which commemorates its 50th anniversary in April, attempted to completely restructure Cambodian society in a bid to create an agrarian utopia. Among others, the regime abolished money, private property, religion, and even education, forcibly evacuating people into the countryside for forced labor.
- The utopian Communist vision was so extreme, however, that it resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians through starvation, execution, forced labor, and disease.
- It also left a legacy of political instability, distrust, and fear, contributing to the country’s ongoing challenges in establishing a stable and democratic society. In fact, its longest-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen before he was replaced by his son in 2023 – was himself a former Khmer cadre who also oversaw the arrests of his opponents.
- It was also the former dictator, now Senate President, that requested the passage of this new bill as he alleged that some politicians refused to recognize the regime’s brutalities and sought to have them punished by law. If passed, the draft law will ban statements denying crimes under the Khmer Rouge regime and will punish violators with a sentence of up to two years.
- In 2013, when Cambodia first proposed such a law, Amnesty International already sounded the alarm about vague and sweeping laws that criminalize expression of opinions about historical facts, saying they were incompatible with international human rights law.
ACTIONS SOUGHT
- Youk urged the Cambodian government to enact a law on the teaching of the history of the Cambodian military and genocide.
SOUTH ASIA

Stemming the tide of Hindu persecution
“This is not an internal matter for Bangladesh, a country that owes its existence to India,” the signatories led by the Hindus Advancing Human Rights (HAHRI) wrote in a Dec. 21 letter that was published a month later by Fair Observer.
“The alarming events in Bangladesh could result in grave, unforeseen security and political challenges for India, the region, and could have international ramifications given the rise of jihadi forces in the country.”
FAST FACTS
- Hindus constitute the second largest religious minority in Bangladesh. Even before Hasina’s ouster, they have been the target of communal violence and attacks in the Muslim-majority nation – but it intensified after Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 in the wake of massive protests.
- The Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported over 2,000 incidents of attacks against Hindus since Aug. 4, as interim minister and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus struggled to restore order in the violence-wracked nation.
- This did not go unnoticed in India, whose local media and social media accounts began to disseminate disinformation and propaganda on the attacks. A fact-checking analysis by BBC found that while the attacks were real, many other online claims were unverified, exaggerated, or misleadingly framed.
- Other analysts believe that India was deliberately fanning the flames because it itself believed there was a conspiracy orchestrated by Pakistan, China, or the United States to topple Hasina – thus purposely vilifying Bangladesh and its regime change.
- Groups including the United Nations have sounded the alarm against the escalating violence, calling on Yunus to address the ongoing violence. Recently, the U.S. National Security Advisor confirmed a call with Yunus where they “expressed commitment to respecting and protecting human rights of all people, regardless of religion.”
ACTIONS SOUGHT
The civil society organizations asked Modi to
- Exert diplomatic pressure on the Bangladeshi government, including withholding aid and trade;
- Engage international bodies like the United Nations and the High Commissioner on Human Rights to condemn and investigate the alleged abuses; and
- Call for the immediate and internationally observed elections in Bangladesh.
GLOBAL / REGIONAL

Preventing a repeat of the 2015 deportations
Back in 2015, Thailand came under fire after it deported over 100 Uyghurs who sought exile in their country back to China – where they were never heard from again.
Almost ten years later, it appears it has not learned its lesson, as it is set to deport 48 Uyghurs who were part of a larger group of 350 people arrested there in 2014 back to their hometown in Xinjiang province, flagged by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) as a hotspot of crimes against humanity against the minority population.
“The treatment of the Uyghur minority in China is well-documented,” said U.N. experts in a statement, as they appealed to Thailand to halt their repatriation and to provide adequate and comprehensive medical care to the Uyghurs instead.
FAST FACTS
- As it is, the Uyghurs in Thailand were reportedly suffering squalid conditions in Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Center, described by a human rights defender to BBC as “hell on earth.” At least 900 other detainees are housed there where they are kept in isolation from other inmates, not given enough rations, and rarely allowed visits from family and lawyers.
- Driven by severe human rights abuses in Xinjiang, many Uyghurs risk perilous journeys to Thailand seeking refuge. Estimates suggest that over half a million Uyghurs have been detained in internment camps within the region, where human rights organizations allege the Chinese government systematically suppresses Uyghur identity and culture.
- In appealing to Thailand, the U.N. experts say that at least 23 of the Uyghurs were suffering from serious health conditions born of their decade-long detention. Human Rights Watch said they were on hunger strike in protest of their looming repatriation.
- Thai authorities, on the other hand, have denied immediate plans to deport the Uyghurs, who said they were already asked to complete paperwork and photographed by immigration authorities already.
- Uyghurs risk heightened scrutiny, detention, interrogation, torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, rights groups warned.
ACTIONS SOUGHT
The U.N. experts called on Thailand to:
- Halt the transfer of the Uyghurs back to mainland China;
- Provide medical care for the ailing detainees; and
- Give them access to their legal representatives and U.N. agencies.