“This was the first time ‘a Japanese court exercised its sovereignty against North Korea to recognise its malpractice’, said Atsushi Shiraki, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.”
—BBC
I am deeply honored to share a historic development in our long-standing transnational litigation against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). On January 26 (JST), the Tokyo District Court issued a monumental ruling, ordering the DPRK to pay 88 million JPY in compensation to defectors who suffered under the “Paradise on Earth” repatriation program.
Dr. Shiraki, a board member of Human Rights Watch Tokyo, has provided pro-bono support for this lawsuit in his capacity as a scholar of transnational litigation. This marks the first time a Japanese court has exercised its judicial authority to hold the DPRK accountable for damages. The court has sent a clear message: the shield of sovereign immunity does not extend to the systematic violation of human rights. This victory belongs to the courageous plaintiffs who waited decades for their dignity to be recognized in a court of law. Our journey toward justice continues.
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