Michael Kirby, former chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI), criticized China and Russia for being perfunctory in dealing with North Korean human rights issues.
 
In an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA) earlier this month, Kirby said China and Russia were “formalistic” and were not deeply concerned about human rights.
 
Kirby said that even after the COI suggested evidence of the North’s human rights abuses, China and Russia disregarded it, saying they didn’t approve of the COI investigating a particular country.
 
Kirby oversaw the publication of the COI report on Human Rights in North Korea disclosed in February 2014. 
 
The report, which referred the North Korean regime to the International Criminal Court for its human rights abuses, was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in December. China and Russia, the two closest allies of the North, voted against adopting a resolution on the North’s human rights issues.