The UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean human rights Tomas Ojea Quintana... is urging China to not return seven North Korean defectors currently held captive in the country.
In an interview with Voice of America,... Quintana said,.... he sent a letter to Beijing a week ago but has yet to receive a response.
He added that... he knows how returned North Korean defectors get tortured and some of them even try to kill themselves to avoid being sent back.
Emphasizing the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees,... Quintana said,.... although China regards defectors as illegal migrants,.... its government should not send them back to the North as they will be persecuted.
