UPR in North Korea points to degrading, inhuman treatment of women in prison
Women, detained by the secret police, are held incommunicado, without the presence of a lawyer and suffer threats, torture and strip-searches.
Women being held in North Korean detention centres interviewed by the UPR (UN Universal Periodic Review) report degrading, inhuman treatment, dreadful conditions of hygiene and food. The detainees, who are deported from China, undergo strip-searches and tests for pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.
According to the women interviewed, people detained by the Korean secret police for interrogation are held incommunicado and do not have access to a defence lawyer. The women, who are submitted to arbitrary imprisonment and torture, are constantly threatened with the intention of an admission of guilt. According to the statements, the longer they are in prison, the lower their chances of surviving the detention centre.
Conectas, in conjunction with the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, is making recommendations for the third cycle of the UPR in North Korea. The 33rd session will take place from 6 to 17 May 2019. Among the recommendations are clear orders that prohibit strip-searches by Ministry of State Security officials and the incorporation of the principle of presumption of innocence in law and in practice.
