Cuba, which was involved in a violation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea last year, has come to the aid of Pyongyang to defend it against a Western-led push to bring its alleged human rights abuses to The Hague, envoys said Wednesday.
A European-Japanese draft resolution submitted to a U.N. General Assembly committee that covers human rights recommends the referral of North Korea to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. That resolution is tentatively scheduled to go to a vote next Tuesday.
North Korea has lobbied at the United Nations for countries to oppose the resolution, dismissing it as part of a U.S.-led political plot to overthrow the country's leadership using falsified human rights criticism based on a U.N. inquiry report that alleged systematic torture, starvation and killings.