Mr. Tomás Ojea Quintana serves as the third Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as of 1 August, 2016. Mr. Quintana is a lawyer, with more than 14 years of activities in the field of human rights. Prior to this appointment, he worked as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar from 2008 to 2014. He was also the Executive Director of the OHCHR Programme for Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Bolivia. Previously, he represented the Argentinean NGO “Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo” in cases concerning child abduction during the military régime. [Photo: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré]
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established by the UN Commission on Human Rights in 2004 (resolution 2004/13), and the mandate has been renewed every year by the Human Rights Council. The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert who monitors and reports on the situation of human rights in the country and on the government's compliance with its obligations under international human rights law. He submits reports to the Human Rights Council and General Assembly annually.
Find press releases and statements by the Special Rapporteur here.
The Special Rapporteur requested former commissioners, civil society organizations and all the other stakeholders to share their views on accountability agenda for his 2021 Council report. Submitted contributions here.