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Disabled people in North Korea’s political prison camps suffer serious human rights violations, enduring poor working conditions and daily violence, sources inside the country recently told Daily NK.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Daily NK last Thursday that “about 8 percent of the prisoners at Susong political prison camp are [Camp 25 in Chongjin]” is disabled.
According to a Daily NK investigation last year, the Susong political prison camp holds around 36,000 inmates. Sources say around 2,800 of the camp’s inmates may be disabled.
But people who are not registered as disabled “are not included in these statistics”, the source said, suggesting the actual number of disabled prisoners is likely much higher.
“In the case of people with congenital disabilities, they come with their families because they had relatives who were political prisoners, but those with acquired disabilities become disabled or mentally ill as a result of work-related accidents, violence or torture,” the source said.
According to sources, many of the injuries suffered by prisoners are the result of accidents caused by poor working conditions in political prison camps or assaults by camp administrators.
North Korea does not maintain or maintain separate facilities for prisoners with physical disabilities in its political prison camps, but it does segregate prisoners with mental disabilities.
“Physically disabled inmates live in the same conditions as able-bodied inmates, but mentally disabled inmates are kept in separate areas,” the source said. “Mentally disabled inmates live in even worse areas. Their treatment never improves and even asking about their treatment is considered anti-party behavior.”
Inmates with disabilities can be beaten to death for infractions.
Prisoners with disabilities are not exempt from disciplinary labor in political prison camps and must perform the same disciplinary labor as non-disabled prisoners.
A disabled prisoner recently died from beatings and other abuse he suffered after failing to perform his assigned duties.
“In the political prison camps, prisoners with disabilities are subject to violence, torture, ill-treatment and humiliation,” the source said. “On June 6, a mentally disabled teenage prisoner in Camp 14… [in Kaechon, South Pyongan Province] “After just a few years, he was unable to do his job properly and was beaten to death,” the source said.
“Then on June 1, a blind inmate in his 50s at Camp 18 [in Pukchang, South Pyongan Province] After he complained about the inadequate quality and quantity of work and the poor food he was given, he was beaten to death in the mess hall.”
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China and elsewhere, whose identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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