[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 69 (Wednesday, May 6, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN NORTH KOREA

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, last week, the Congressional Human Rights 
Commission met with defectors from North Korea and we heard firsthand 
how the people of North Korea continue to suffer terribly at the hands 
of the cruel dictatorship there.
  It is vital that the international community and the United States 
take more specific, deliberate action aimed at helping the suffering 
people of North Korea. There are numerous reports of the suffering 
going on inside North Korea; prison camps, severe torture, slave labor, 
forced abortions, and almost certain death for those who have tried to 
escape and have been forced to return.
  The U.S. Congress passed the North Korea Human Rights Act to provide 
a stronger foundation for the U.S. to help the North Korean people. 
Unfortunately, that act has not been implemented to the fullest extent 
possible.
  The North Korean people need to hear the message that they are not 
alone, that they are not forgotten, and that there are many in the 
United States and around the world who deeply care about their plight 
and are working to help them.
  We look forward to the day when we can visit a free North Korea and 
see the people living with human rights and dignity.

                          ____________________