North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un Ple@sure Squad of 25 V!RGIN WOMANS

 



The North Korean pretrial detention and investigation system is arbitrary and lacks any semblance of due process, Human Rights Watch said in a report released

today. Former detainees described systematic torture, dangerous and unhygienic conditions, and unpaid forced labor.

The 88-page report, "Worth Less Than an Animal: Abuses and Due Process Violations in Pretrial Detention in North Korea," provides a unique and detailed description of the country's opaque criminal justice system. It highlights North Korea's weak legal and institutional framework, and the political nature of the courts and law enforcement agencies under the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

"North Korea's pretrial detention and investigation system is arbitrary, violent, cruel, and degrading," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "North Koreans say they live in constant fear of being caught in a system where official procedures are usually irrelevant, guilt is presumed, and the only way out is through bribes and connections."

Human Rights Watch interviewed eight former government officials who fled the country and 22 North Koreans -15 women and 7 men - held in detention and interrogation facilities (kuryujang) since 2011, when the country's current leader, Kim Jong Un, took power.

Former detainees told Human Rights Watch that they had no way of knowing what would happen to them once they were arrested, had no access to an independent lawyer, and had no way of appealing to the authorities about torture or violations of the criminal procedure law. Once an individual faces an official investigation there is little chance of avoiding a sentence of short-term or long-term unpaid forced labor. Some female detainees reported sexual harassment and assault, including rape.

Former detainees said they were forced to sit still on the floor for days, kneeling or with their legs crossed, fists or hands on their laps, heads down, and with their eyes directed to the floor. If a detainee moved, guards punished the person or ordered collective punishment for all detainees.

Four former government officials said that the ruling Workers' Party of Korea considers detainees to be inferior human beings, and therefore unworthy of direct eye contact with law enforcement officers. They are referred to by a number instead of their names.

"If we moved, we were punished by standing and sitting, doing push-ups, abdominals, or holding onto the metal bars," said a former soldier who left North Korea in 2017 after being detained multiple times for smuggling and trying to escape to South Korea. He added:



The North Korean pretrial detention and investigation system is arbitrary and lacks any semblance of due process, Human Rights Watch said in a report released

today. Former detainees described systematic torture, dangerous and unhygienic conditions, and unpaid forced labor.

The 88-page report, "Worth Less Than an Animal: Abuses and Due Process Violations in Pretrial Detention in North Korea," provides a unique and detailed description of the country's opaque criminal justice system. It highlights North Korea's weak legal and institutional framework, and the political nature of the courts and law enforcement agencies under the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

"North Korea's pretrial detention and investigation system is arbitrary, violent, cruel, and degrading," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "North Koreans say they live in constant fear of being caught in a system where official procedures are usually irrelevant, guilt is presumed, and the only way out is through bribes and connections."

Human Rights Watch interviewed eight former government officials who fled the country and 22 North Koreans -15 women and 7 men - held in detention and interrogation facilities (kuryujang) since 2011, when the country's current leader, Kim Jong Un, took power.

Former detainees told Human Rights Watch that they had no way of knowing what would happen to them once they were arrested, had no access to an independent lawyer, and had no way of appealing to the authorities about torture or violations of the criminal procedure law. Once an individual faces an official investigation there is little chance of avoiding a sentence of short-term or long-term unpaid forced labor. Some female detainees reported sexual harassment and assault, including rape.

Former detainees said they were forced to sit still on the floor for days, kneeling or with their legs crossed, fists or hands on their laps, heads down, and with their eyes directed to the floor. If a detainee moved, guards punished the person or ordered collective punishment for all detainees.

Four former government officials said that the ruling Workers' Party of Korea considers detainees to be inferior human beings, and therefore unworthy of direct eye contact with law enforcement officers. They are referred to by a number instead of their names.

"If we moved, we were punished by standing and sitting, doing push-ups, abdominals, or holding onto the metal bars," said a former soldier who left North Korea in 2017 after being detained multiple times for smuggling and trying to escape to South Korea. He added:

10 Weird Things That Only Exist In North Korea

 10 Weird Things That Only Exist In North Korea

The report is based on interviews with 62 North Koreans who fled the country and provided detailed accounts of rape and sexual abuse.

The group said it revealed a culture of open, unaddressed abuse, particularly from men in positions of power.

"They consider us [sex] toys. We are at the mercy of men," Oh Jung-hee, a former trader in her 40s told the report's authors.

"Sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and don't know why."

According to HRW some women said that sexual abuse had become so normalised that they did not think it was "unusual" - with some saying it had become accepted as part of everyday life.



Considering that North Korea - formally (and ironically) known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - is commonly referred to as a "hermit kingdom," quite a lot is known about this reclusive, isolated nation of 25 million people.

Its recent ballistic missile tests made headlines around the globe, as have the tirades of its young leader, Kim Jong-un. Heartrending tales of the North Korean Famine of the 1990s still strike a chord today, while eccentric anecdotes about the three generations of DPRK leaders draw raised eyebrows.

Kim Jong-il, son of founder Kim Il-sung and father to the current head of state, is reported to have bowled a perfect 300 during his first game and to scored 38 under par playing golf, according to The Washington Post. He is also said to have written 1,500 books during his college years alone, The Telegraph reports.

While these outrageous stories are likely overblown propaganda, here are seven real facts about North Korea you probably don't know that may reshape the way you think about this reclusive nation. CIA data ranks North Korea's estimated 25 million-person population 51st out of the world's nations. North Korea's outsized military is among the most powerful in the world, boasting approximately 1,190,000 active-duty troops, according to Newsweek.