A long list of abominations. Extrajudicial killings, rapes, forced abortions, arrests without trial, torture, hunger rations that force prisoners to even eat insects. These are just some of the common abuses in North Korean prisons and other North Korean detention facilities, according to former detainees whose statements form the basis of a new report released this week by a human rights monitor.
The most detailed report ever on North Korean prisons
Thanks to the analysis of official documents, satellite images, digital models of prison facilities, as well as interviews with hundreds of survivors, witnesses and abusers who fled the country, the non-profit NGO Korea Future he constructed what he claims is the most detailed picture currently available of life in the nation’s prison system.
“The purpose of our report is mainly to uncover human rights violations that occur in North Korea’s penal systems. It draws attention to the fact that there are still systematic and widespread human rights violations, 10 years after the United Nations’ Commission of Inquiry was established. Kim Jiwon, a researcher, said . Korea FutureFocusing on human rights issues in North Korea, with offices in London, Seoul and The Hague.
The group has documented more than 1,000 cases of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, hundreds of cases of rape and other sexual violence, and more than 100 denials of the right to life.
“Comparable to the Soviet Gulag”
North Korea’s penal system, “similar to the Soviet Gulag,” is “not aimed at detaining and rehabilitating persons convicted by courts in safe and humane facilities. Nor is it aimed at reducing the likelihood of recidivism and increasing public safety.” report. “To isolate people from society whose behavior conflicts with the maintenance of Supreme leader Kim Jong Un’s authority.”
The report states that hundreds of people who claim to have participated in the violence have been identified, and calls for these violations to be investigated and prosecuted. Korea Future used testimony and satellite imagery to map 206 detention centers in each of North Korea’s provinces, claiming that violations were personally perpetrated by high-ranking officials such as major generals.
The most dramatic stories
Among the highlighted cases are the cases of three people detained after attempting to cross the border, which is a punishable offense in this country. The group claims, among other things, that a woman was forced into an abortion when she was seven or eight months pregnant; one of the detainees was fed only 80 grams of corn per day, a starvation diet that saw his weight drop from 60 to 37 kilograms per month, forcing him to supplement his diet with cockroaches and rodents; a third man was forced to stay in a stress position for up to 17 hours a day for 30 days.
Other survivors who spoke to CNN said they survived by eating animal food and weakening skeletally, witnessing rapes and suffering severe beatings.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
